Dreaming of Queens
by EnderLance
Summary: Lux didn't mind living the student life with his sisters by his side, all of which comes crashing down the moment he steps foot into the supernatural love world. With girls falling head over heels for him, siblings from another world, possessing the same shade of hair he does, and powers he still doesn't understand, where could life possibly go, huh?
1. Character Sheets

**Lux**

Direct Definition

The SI unit for luminescence, equal to one lumen per square metre. Origin (Latin); light.

An exception has occurred.

File "story-script:ch-rpy", line 26 File missing.

"story-script:ch-rpy" retrieved successfully.

Makers of Stories

The writer, "Kōshi Tachibana"  
The series director, "Tetsurō Araki"  
File "extra/writers, directors, creators-script:ch-rpy", line 26: File missing.

Abilities

He possesses the 'Evoker'. To wield the 'Angels', his encounter with the strange boy granted him the 'Void Genome'.

* * *

 _The man and dragon could only agree, that the boy was of tens of thousands of men that would bring salvation to mankind. That he would oppose those who threaten the balance of his world, in exchange for his own life._

 _This was not fate. This was a law._

 _And he embraced it, like any other of the 'Protagonists'._


	2. Chapter 1

"Did we not, though?"- Speech

'We met before…'- Thoughts

 _"You don't know him."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!*- Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 1: σε ξέρω [}

Japan, land of the rising sun, cosplaying, and anime. It wasn't hard to decipher why the country was so popular, so well renowned.

None could deny that, despite its continent being barely noticeable in the entire globe, it made up for its natural beauty, hospitality, and wide value of entertainment. The third part was what made Japan popular amongst the younger masses, due to it being the country that produced what was well known as manga, anime, etc.

But of course, we won't be talking about the country itself. Oh, no, that would only be suitable for a lesson about geography, or the countries in general.

Well, in this very country, was a city called the Tengū City. And here, we kick it off with the usual…

Our protagonist being forced to wake up by his annoying sister as he sleeps through a peaceful day, like any other cliché anime that has a protagonist with a sister.

"Neh, neh! Wake up~!" A girl with a mop of blue hair cried as she furiously shook the body under the covers, her lips pursed as her cheeks puffed out, annoyed.

"Ghugh… A few more minutes, please…" The figure snored, his jet black hair brightening from the sliver of light that broke through the curtains.

The boy was a simple lad, sporting a shade of skin as any typical Japanese men. His dark blue hair with a black crown was regal, kept straight as it rushed down to his chin, but what was most eye-catching was his left eye that gleamed a valiant blue with a strange mark in it, while the other remained jet black.

Bad pun? Yeah, sorry about that.

He fluttered his mismatching eyes open, gaze landing on his visibly annoyed sister.

"Oh, come on!" She shook his shoulders ever more furiously now, intent on getting him to wake up. "We have school today..!"

"Oh shoot!" In a single split of a second, he finally shot forth from bed, black and blue eyes wide with shock. A loud thump could be heard. "I completely forgot!"

"Ow!" He snapped his gaze to his sister, whom he had just literally thrown off of him and onto the floor. "Seriously though, Nii-sama… Couldn't you at least _try_ to remember some things..?"

"Why do so, when I have my amazing and cute little sisters that I can rely on," he grinned back at her, earning a blush and a pout.

"Fine… But you have to do some things on your own too, you know!" She cried out.

"I know. I can't rely on you forever," he nodded back in understanding, getting up. "Alright, go wait up with Kotori. I'll get myself ready."

"Okay," the girl nodded, leaving him in his room alone.

Yawning, the boy got himself ready and dressed in his school uniform. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly looking forwards to school, but supposed it was better than not going. Plus, he'd get the chance to see his friend again.

Looking himself in the mirror, he was wearing the black blazer with a white shirt, and grey trousers to complete the set. Now he had to wear the tie.

But he didn't want to wear the academy's own blue tie.

As such, he put on a white-blue striped tie he found in his closet. He had picked it up with a white jacket he was interested in a few years ago, keeping it for exactly this day.

"I'll wear the jacket for other times," he shrugged, finishing the touches on himself before leaving for the living room.

There, he was met with the sight of his two sisters, blue and red hair respectively, sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

The blunette was young, no less than thirteen. With her long blue hair tied into a ponytail, it went well with her maple brown eyes, with a single mole placed delicately under the left one.

The redhead on the other hand shared an age with the blue-haired girl. She was wearing white ribbons in her twintail-styled hair. Her bright red eyes representing fiery passion, the girl was a spirited one.

The girls were wearing white uniforms with a black tie, a short teal-colored skirt that was just above their thighs, and long black stockings. Suffice to say, they were cute.

This family of three possessed a strong bond, one unmatched by others. It was strong, no matter what, and they would go through trials together.

And the boy loved this family.

"Nii-sama, you're not wearing the right coloured tie…" The girl with blue hair sweat-dropped, a sheepish chuckle escaping him.

"Yes, well, I may have forgotten where I left it," which was an exact lie, he knew. But for now, he supposed it was fine to leave it as it was. "Well then, girls, we should get moving. School won't move to us, you know."

"It would be so much easier that way, though," the redhead giggled, an amused grin from the brother shot at her.

"Kotori, you know that's not going to happen, no matter how hard you wish it to be," he chuckled, turning to look at his blue-haired sister. "Mana, you've already watered the plants, right?"

"Yeah, I have," she nodded back.

"Okay then, girls, let's go," he gestured to the door.

"Right!" Both Mana and Kotori answered, joining their brother outside of the house.

Now, they were on their way to their respective schools. The boy studied in an academy called 'Raizen High School', whereas the girls went to a different all-girls school under Raizen's branch. It was Raizen's sister-school, and he's seen how things were. Since everything there was fine, he had no problems with his sister going there.

After some time, they reached a crossroad.

"Hey Onee-chan, what do you think about the incident nowadays?" Kotori suddenly brought up. At this, the lad couldn't help but give off a thinking look.

"Hmm… I mean, the three of us know that it's not stopping any time now, but I wish it did… Look at all the damage it's dealt," he sighed. "Maybe there isn't death much nowadays, but the fact that it still finds a way to injure the people really does strike us as dangerous."

"You're not wrong about that," Mana sighed. "Imagine… What if we could stop it, once and for all?"

"You're not the only one who wishes that. Everyone else wants it just as badly as we do," he smiled, crossing his arms as he walked. "But these spacequakes, it's part of nature. And you know for a fact that you can't stop nature."

"True that," the bluenette nodded in agreement.

"Well then, I suppose Mana and I should be going now," Kotori spoke up, jumping in front of him. "So hey, let's go to a restaurant afterwards! Your treat!"

"As always, huh?" The lad chuckled, placing his hand on his hip. "Sure, I'll bite. Where do you girls want to go to?"

"Ooh, ooh! Then let's go to that four-star restaurant down the street! The one we saw a few days ago!" The bluenette joined in.

"Yeah, let's go to that one!" The redhead nodded, quite eagerly if he had anything to say.

"Really? There?" He brushed his fingers through his hair, whistling. 'That place is expensive. Then again…'

He saw no reason to deny them of their request, so he supposed it was fine to humour them every now and then. Plus, he too was curious how the food there tasted like, so this was the best opportunity.

"Okay then, we'll go there then," he nodded, smiling at the bright grins the girls were flashing. "Once I'm done with my school time, I'll come over and pick you up. We'll go afterwards, alright?"

"Sure, that would work!" Mana nodded.

"Okay then, make sure to pick us up, alright, Onee-chan? Even if there was a terrorist attack there!" Kotori's words elicited a confused look from the brother, but he shrugged it off.

"Sure… But I doubt such a thing is going to happen. I mean, it sounds ridiculous," he chuckled, patting the girl's head. "Now, off you go. I need to get to my school too. Be safe, you hear?"

"Kay'!" The two girls chirped back, running off as their brother stood fixed to his spot, waving at the girls.

Once his sisters were out of his peripherals, he resumed on his way to his school.

* * *

Raizen High School

"Oh, look! It's Lux!" One of the students yelled, all eyes instantly turning onto him.

"Hey, you're right!" Another student nodded, raising his hand. "Hey, Lux!"

"Hmm?" The boy looked up from where he was called, waving back. "Yo."

Murmurs filled the corridor of which his footsteps rung through. The boy kept his ears open, hearing comments about how handsome he was, or how talented he was in class. Truth be told, he cared less for things like that.

All he really wanted, was to enjoy a good life with his sisters, and live life to the fullest.

It was until he reached his class was he able to get away from most of the murmurs.

Because this time, it was his class that talked about him.

Sitting down, it didn't take long for him to be approached by a fellow classmate.

"Good morning, Lux," she greeted. Turning his face to the source of the voice, he was met with a familiar view.

"Ah, Origami," Lux smiled, gaze falling on a familiar face. "The same to you as well."

This was Tobichi Origami, a classmate of his who was known to be an intelligent student amongst the classes. She had her silver hair left in a bob cut to just her chin. Her blue eyes, a brighter shade than his own left one, were enough to mesmerise those who looked into them. She wore the female Raizen High School's uniform.

"Have you completed the schoolwork given to you?" She asked, taking a seat at the table beside his.

"Don't worry, I have," he nodded in conformation. "Oh yeah, I forgot. I wanted to ask you on what club you were planning to join."

"I don't intend to join any. Why do you ask?" She titled her head to the side.

"Ahh… Okay. Sorry, just wanted to know," he offered her a short smile, before pulling out a book from his bag. Putting a mechanical pencil into his left hand, he began jotting notes into the book.

"You're ambidextrous?" She asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah. I've been practicing ever since I was little," he shrugged, holding the book in front of him, covers facing her so to keep the contents away from her eyes. "And no peeking."

"…Fine," she relented, but the curious look in those usually emotionless eyes of hers gave him enough reason that he wanted to know.

He watched her return to her seat from the corner of his vision, as he continued to write and write. He didn't take notice of his surroundings now. All that existed, now, was this book and pencil, and he himself.

What he wrote, shall be revealed soon enough.

"Alright class!" The teacher stepped into the room. "Pleased to meet you all! I'll be your homeroom teacher from now on, so I'm looking forward to be working with you all!"

The boy, Lux as he was called earlier, spared a short glance at his brown-haired teacher, who was a pretty woman who had remained single for so long. Ms. Okamine, she was. Maybe it was her devotion to her job, or her insecurity in love-related topics. Some knew, others decided to ignore it.

For Lux, he'd rather get on with his studies than waste time thinking on matters like those.

* * *

An Hour Later

What Lux could appreciate in Ms. Okamine's classes, were that she was willing to give her students free time after they had completed the tasks she had given them.

As such, it was a no-brainer as to why Lux was busy writing away in his journal, and why Origami was so busy trying to get a peek at what he was writing.

The two were known to be the most intelligent people in the school, excelling in their academics and curricular activities. Any job that were handed to them, they would complete no matter what. They were prodigies, among the students.

But there was an obvious difference between the two.

Tobichi Origami was the goddess who could not be approached, too far for one to approach. Lux von' Halcyon, on the other hand, was a down-to-earth person who never held back from lending a helping hand.

As such, it would be some time after he starts writing in his book—at this point, everyone were curious what was inside it—that there would be a classmate or two that would come to him, seeking assistance.

And of course, unlike other snobbish intellects who would choose to ignore their pleas, the lad would put down his pencil, close the book, and lend an ear and words.

With his help, they were able to understand the lessons much better. They were capable of putting such difficult terms into simpler equations, all because he helps.

Of course, that doesn't entirely mean that Origami was an unapproachable girl. Not really. In fact, the girls would usually go to her, whereas the boys flock to Lux. Although, there have been times where the girls do go to the boy for help. The male students didn't dare approach the silver-haired goddess.

Lux was just rather friendly. One only needs to steel themselves to approach him were they wishing to become his friend, or at the very least, an acquaintance.

It made sense why most of the students from earlier greeted him so openly, smiling and even waving at him. He was just a really nice guy.

Some time later, once all the questions had stopped, he resumed with his entries. He had been doing the same thing the year before as well, but had done it in more secluded areas, such as in the bathroom and such. However, this time, he was willing to write it in the open, figuring that it would be so much easier that way.

"Hey Lux," the boy dragged his sight upwards, meeting a familiar view. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine for now, Tonomachi," he nodded back.

The guy was a close friend of his, who shamelessly declared that he'd stick to the life of a dating simulators. As such, he never held back from showing off his 'girlfriend', and announced himself a happy man.

Well, as happy as he could be with a fake girlfriend, that is.

Even then, Lux enjoyed having him around. He was a pretty fun guy to boot.

"So, any progress?" Lux decided to humour his friend, smirking.

"Well, of course. Girls love presents and attention, after all," the black-haired pushed his hand through his hair in a proud manner. "I've gotten pretty far with my girlfriend because of that."

"And what's her name?" He asked.

"Tomoka," he answered, a smug look on his face.

"A pretty common name if you ask me. Still, your game, your decision," the bluenette shrugged. "In any case, I should get going."

"Ho? Let me guess, you have a girl on your mind?" Tonomachi asked, a perverted look in his eye.

"Girls, to be precise. And not really. Just my sisters, as usual," he shrugged, standing up before pushing his seat into the table. "Okay then, I'll see you around then."

"Got it," the black-haired boy waved back.

* * *

Leaving the school grounds, Lux already had his phone set to GPS, searching for the location of the restaurant from earlier.

Swiping on the screen, he could finally see the icon of the restaurant, somewhere a few feet from where he was now.

"Okay then, time to get… moving…" He trailed off for a moment.

Why is that?

Well, it isn't hard to understand. When you're just about to go home, and you suddenly see a beautiful girl in such a strange dress walking into the alleyway, following two men in black suits, of course you'd have to stop and look.

Unless you aren't Lux, of which you would choose to walk away, ignoring everything on your mind. From there, you would be burdened with the thought of what had just happened, or would ultimately forget it.

So, which pathway did he take?

He chose to follow after them, just like any anime situation.

'I might be overthinking things… Could just be her guardians,' he thought in his mind. 'Like… bodyguards? Yeah, could be.'

And yet, the farther in he went, the more unsure he felt about the thought.

And it didn't take long to start hearing voices. He could feel the hair on his skin standing on end, and his brain yelling at him to not go further. It was why he opted to hide behind a wall.

"…must be this diva, aren't you?" He could now hear one of the men. He sounded pretty mad, for some reason.

"And if I am..?" The girl asked back.

"Well, we can't have you running around and making problems for us," the other man scoffed. "And so…"

*Click!*

"Hh..!" Lux's eyes went wide at the sight before him.

Because now, the second man held a gun, aimed directly at the girl's abdomen. He pulled back the hammer, and were he to trigger now, the bullet would lodge itself in her torso, killing her almost instantly. If she remains alive, she won't for long, since the bleeding would leave her dry.

'Oh, man, this isn't good..!' He gulped, setting down his bag. Quietly unzipping it, he pulled out what seemed a to be a knife.

Holding it close to his chest, he breathed in a bit. He had taken lessons, and he was ready for the time to prove his training.

'Now or never…' He decided that it was now time to fight.

Plugging in earphones to his phone, he pocketed it away after playing a music track, placing it in his ears.

 ***Final Fantast XIII—Sazh's Theme (Play Song)***

"Well then, little girl, this is goodbye," and the man had a bright smug grin on his face, ignorant of the movement that was fast approaching him in the blink of the eye. "Go to He—"

*Shing!* *Crack!*

"What the?!" The man, now holding a gun sliced in two, watched as the front half fell to the ground. "How did you—"

Lux gave him no chance to respond, his fist thrusted in a swift action that looked as if it blurred. It dug into the man's gut, followed swiftly with his right leg slammed strongly against the side of his face.

The man was sent flying into the wall, crashing into it and shattering the bricks. His comrade was left flabbergasted, frozen to his spot. It was a moment later before he finally thawed from his shock, aiming his gun at the boy—

*Smack!*

"Ghuh!" Only for his lower jaw to be forced to crash against the upper one, courtesy of the girl he and his buddy were supposed to kill.

"D-Damn it…" The first man brought himself to stand, pulling out what seemed to be a pocket knife. "You're gonna' regret doing that, kid!"

Lux refrained from correcting him. He was going to lose anyways.

The lad shifted his weight to his left foot, tilting his body by a bit and allowing his opponent's blade to miss him. Right after, he dealt a roundhouse kick with his right leg, before swapping his dagger to his left hand, slashing it across the man's body. The metal easily cut through the cloth, leaving a thin slit in his flesh and skin.

Lux crouched to dodge another blow, flicking his dagger in his hands before landing a cut across the man's face, before smacking him in the torso with his free fist, watching him stagger backwards before colliding with his coconspirator, dropping to the ground.

It seemed that the girl had made short work of her own target fairly easily.

She was dancing, avoiding each knife hits flawlessly. She had no trouble to return the attacks with her own, landing either a kick to his chin or uppercutting him across the jaw. She had managed to kick away the gun from his hands, so everything else was easy.

And from there, it didn't take long for her to check him. Dealing a combo of hits, kicks and a last sweep to the legs, her opponent finally fell down, crashing into his ally.

 ***Final Fantast XIII—Sazh's Theme (End Song)***

Lux clicked on his phone to stop the music, pointing his dagger at the two men.

"Okay now. You're downed, weaponless, and out of ideas," he spoke briefly, keeping a distance away from them. "Well, I can only assume the last part, but that's not what's important here. Right now, you better get lost, or someone's losing an arm."

"Y-You wouldn't dare…" One of the men spat, not believing this teenager's words.

"Oh? Well then," he walked over to where the girl had kicked away her enemy's gun, taking it. He inspected it for a while, looking at its edges, before pointing it straight at the two, who flinched just as quick. "This is a Colt M1911, and it still has enough to fire six rounds. Shooting the nerves inside your arm should work."

"W-What the f**k?!" The men scurried away, face pale as they looked at the boy in horror.

They were trained experts, yet they had been beaten by just two teenagers. And this boy… There was something definitely off about him. He was far too good to just be some highschool student.

"So do us a favour," and the men took his next words with no hesitation. "And shoo."

"H-HHhaHAA!" And just like that, the men in black suits rushed off, disappearing from the alleyway and making themselves known to the public, sporting bruises and cuts all over them.

It was some time later, after the commotion had died down, that Lux found himself sighing in relief.

"Well, that had been something…" He chuckled, walking to his bag. Picking it up, he placed the dagger and gun in it. 'Might come in handy.'

"Thank you…" He could hear the girl voice out. She sounded like a sea of melodies, sweet and attractive. If her looks couldn't make one fall heads over heels for her, her voice would do the trick.

"It's no problem. They were about to do such an illegal thing in the first place. Someone had to stop them," he smiled back, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "In any case, you'd better go get to somewhere place. You wouldn't want any more weirdos coming after your head, right?"

"You're right about that," she offered a short nod.

"…Here," he pulled out the gun from his bag, tossing it at the girl. "You're going to need protection. While you may be good at close-combat, I'm worried how you'll fare against men with firearms. At the very least, you'll be able to deal with them from a distance."

And with his words said, he made his way to leave the area.

"Oh yeah," he stopped midway, looking past his shoulder to see the girl. "Lux von' Halcyon. See ya'."

And with that, he finally left.

* * *

The restaurant 'Stellar Dining'. A four-stars restaurant. Just from looks alone, it lived up to its rating.

It was a fine establishment, with beautifully polished windows that went well with the pots of bright blue flowers sitting in front of them. The door was a black, shiny metal, with a glass that allowed view of the interiors. There was a short stone pavement that leads to the door.

Entering it, he was presented with a wide and beautiful space with lots of tables and chairs. The floor was a western hemlock, giving it a natural view. The wall was a dark black, but with white and yellow dots, accompanied with blues and greens painted into it, possibly to resemble stars.

And he knew, that when his sisters were really excited to come here, of course they'd be here before he was.

"Onii-chan!" Kotori waved high in the air, calling him over.

Walking towards them, he sat opposite of his sisters.

"Was I late?" He asked, inwardly hoping not.

"Only a bit," Mana reassured him, noticing that slightly worried look he had on his face. "We just got here a few minutes ago."

"Oh, thank God…" He sighed in relief, thankful that the little 'incident' earlier didn't take much of his time. "So, what do you girls want to eat?"

"I want to try the escalope! And apple tea, please!" The redhead answered, rather excitedly.

"Ooh, ooh! The saganaki! With vanilla milkshake," The bluenette was the one to answer next.

"Really? Going straight for French and Greek?" He brought up, chuckling in amusement. "Well, not that I can stop you anyways. Just make sure to eat it, and finish it. I won't be hearing any complaints or midway fleeing, understood?"

"Yes, brother," both sisters answered, smiling.

"Okay then," he smiled back, before clicking his fingers loudly in the air. " _Excusez-moi, monsieur_!"

Right afterwards, a waiter came running towards them, holding a notepad in his left hand while a pen rested in his right. He wrote down everything that the customer was saying, and the two sisters were surprised at how fluent their brother was in his French.

In fact, he had a knack for using almost all the languages there were. Currently, he was learning Spanish and Latin. But they knew he'd get it down not any longer now.

" _Très bien. Je vous remercie_ ," the lad nodded his head, with the waiter mirroring his gesture before retreating into the kitchen. He sighed right after.

"How'd you know to speak French with him?" Mana decided to ask, considering that both she and Kotori were curious.

"He doesn't look Japanese. Plus, I can tell that he would probably have difficulties speaking English or Japanese, so I supposed speaking the same language as he does would make things go faster," he shrugged, pulling out his book and pencil from the bag, and writing once again.

"Man… It's like there's nothing in the world that you can't do…" Mana sighed. Even then, she was always amazed with her brother.

"Actually, you're wrong on one thing," he corrected her, instantly earning his sisters' attention. "I can't get a girlfriend."

"Lux," well speak of the Devil.

"Huh?" The lad turned around, eyes widening in surprise when he was now seeing the girl from before face-to-face. "I-It's you…"

"Indeed," she nodded. "Am I bothering you?"

"W-What? No, no," he bobbed his head left and right. "What are you doing here?" He closed the book, putting it away.

"I merely wanted to speak with you. That is, if you don't mind?" She asked.

"Ahh… No, there's no problem here. I, uhh…" He cleared his throat, moving closer to the wall. "Sit with us, please."

Nodding mutely, she sat beside him, noticing how his fingers were beginning to twiddle with each other. And of course, there was the slight looks of jealousy shot in her way, but she couldn't help but wonder why they came from his sisters of all people.

"Do you want anything? Coffee? Cordon bleu?" The lad asked, earning a shake of the head.

"I'll just take blueberry tea," she answered.

Responding with an 'Alright', he called for the waiter once more, wielding his sword of language once again to add in another order. Once that was done, the waiter walked back into the kitchen, delivering the message.

"So…" Kotori drawled, levelling a glare at the strange girl. "How did you two meet?"

"We just met earlier. Like, just before I got here," the lad answered in his acquaintance's stead. "It was a crazy story, believe me."

"Don't worry. You're not one to lie," the redhead urged him to continue.

"Okay… It's like this…" And as such, he entailed the details of their encounter to his sisters, both of whom looked equally as curious as, well, each other. He decided to leave the fact that he took a gun, and felt that everything else was fine. Finishing his story, he let out a breath. "And that's basically it. Any questions?"

At that, Mana raised her arm.

"Who are you?" She directed the question at the girl herself.

"Inori Yuzuriha," she answered briefly.

"W-W-What?!" His jaws agape, eyes wide with surprise, he would've done a spit take were he to be drinking something by now. "You're _the_ Inori Yuzuriha? The famous vocalist from the group Egoist?"

"Indeed," she nodded. "I'm surprised that you know of us."

"You've produced some of the greatest music and songs I've ever heard. I must say, I really do enjoy your works," he smiled, honestly. "Not many people can make such beautiful works as you do. My personal favourite is ßios."

"I see. I didn't expect you to like that one out of everything else," she nodded, somewhat surprised.

To be honest, she hadn't expected anyone to actually _know_ ßios. It was a failed piece, one that was considered a wreckage amongst their other works. And yet, this person she had met was speaking of this piece quite highly.

"Of course, I like everything else, but it's my favourite," he shrugged.

"Wow, having quite the fun conversation, aren't you?" Kotori's usually-sweet smile was accompanied with a twitching by her left eyebrow.

"Sorry to leave you out," he chuckled.

Before she even had the chance to retort, the waiter arrived with their dishes and drinks. Deciding to hold off her retort for later, she decided that it was now time to eat.

And dig in they did, and they knew now why this restaurant was so popular. They truly knew how to serve their customers.

After some time, they decided to engage each other in a few short conversations, enjoying this moment of peace.

But alas, not every peace remains untouched. And this situation has its disturbance in three…

Two…

One…

*Bring!* *Bring!*

" _Warning! There have been precursory signs of an impending spatial quake in the area,_ " the alarms suddenly rang, echoing through the buildings and area as a woman's voice announced.

"A spatial quake…" Inori muttered to no one in particular, looking out through the window.

" _This is not a drill. Please evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately. I repeat, please evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately,_ " and with that, the woman stopped speaking, but allowed the alarms to continue blaring.

"Everyone, come on… We should go," Lux stood up, followed by the three other girls. "We need to go. Now."

It was times like these that he lost his carefreeness. The relatively lovable and laid-back personality of his was cut down, reduced to a cautious and wary person.

Right now, he didn't want to risk losing someone. Safety was a necessity right now.

Leaving the shop, the group of four made their way to the closest shelter there was, ready to take refuge amidst its safe walls.

The shelters were located underground, since spatial quakes only occurred on the surface. Reinforced with steel and any other hard materials, it was like any other fallout bunker, except more spacious to allow more people to reside in.

Halfway to the shelter, however…

*Gggk!*

"Guh..!" The lad suddenly stopped, gripping a nearby pole as his other hand moved to his mouth. 'W-What is this..?!'

There was a sudden throbbing in his head, followed later with… voices. There were countless voices in his head, ranging from children to adults, from men to women. He could hear them… Screaming.

The urge to vomit grew the more intense the voices grew, until it all just stopped.

* * *

 _"Do you think the boy can hear us?"_

 ** _"Who knows? Maybe he—Oh, never mind. Looks like they see us."_**

 _"Hmm? Ahh… Our words are presented now."_

 ** _"So, can the boy hear us?"_**

 _"Lux definitely should. Can you boy?"_

* * *

Two voices resonated in his head for just a brief moment, before they disappeared. And with it, the bile in his throat finally died down.

'W-What was that..?' He thought, trying hard not to focus on anything.

"Nii-sama!" His head snapped to where Mana called him from, a look of concern on her face. "A-Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine…" He shook his head, letting go of the pole. "I'm fine. Just… a little under the weather… I swear."

"Can you walk..?" The concern in her voice did not go unnoticed by anyone. Kotori and Inori too looked worried.

"Yeah… I'll be fine. No, I'm fine now," he managed a small, just to calm the girl down. "Come on, that spatial quake won't just go away on its own, after all."

Taking just a little bit more time to finally get himself calm once again, they began moving once again. Truth be told, he would've liked a little bit more time to get his systems fully fine, but he supposed that there was no more time for that.

Now they were at the shelter, but of course, not everything good thing can happen to everyone.

"O-Oh dear…" The nurse in the shelter sported a worried look.

And it made so much sense.

Because right now, besides just her, there were countless other children and adults, elderly included, crammed into the very space that would take them to safety.

And Lux didn't waste time standing there, doing nothing. He began calculating, soon coming to the realisation that it could indeed fit three more bodies of slim build. And right now, there was four of them.

Well, girls do like selfless boys, Lux thought to himself.

"Go," he voiced out, looks of horror sported on everyone else's faces. "There's more shelters here. I'll just found a suitable one."

"B-But Onii-chan..!" Kotori was ready to argue, but the deathly stare he shot her immediately stopped her.

"No arguments. Go," and that was the last thing he said, before he started running away, ignoring the cries from his sisters. 'Damn it, I am not going to die like this..!'

A few more feet afterwards, he was barely able to catch sight of something purple and black in the air, shaping into an orb—

"Oh shoot!" He yelled out, running behind a building.

*Boom!*

"GhaaaHH!" His voice was unable to block out the sound that came from the spatial quake utterly destroying everything in the vicinity, engulfing the buildings in a void.

It was some time later, that everything had finally died down.

Moving himself away, his eyes widened, shaking at what he was looking at.

 ***Nier: Automata—Copied City: Quiet, Vocals (Play Song)***

"W-What is this…" He knew that a spatial quake would bring destruction, but he had never thought of it capable of dealing this much.

Everywhere he looked, buildings were shattered, and purple veins stretched across the ground. There were no signs of life everywhere he looked. It was as if everything that had existed here before, were now gone. Dead, nonexistent.

His every nerves felt like they wanted to run. To escape. But he knew he couldn't do that just yet.

In front of him, there was a large crater, with something glowing purple in the centre. He looked at it.

And he was all the more taken aback when he was actually looking at a her.

The girl, so beautiful, with dark purple hair and purple eyes. A dress of purple, pink and beige that she wore fitted her so perfectly, as if it were made entirely for her. And yet, it looked like it was fitted for battle, indicated by how she too wore gauntlets and armoured boots.

Staring at her, his eyes making visual contact with her own, he couldn't help but… burn the image of such beauty in his mind.

"…Who are you?" She asked, voice holding not much emotion.

"…" He couldn't speak at first, but getting over his previous shock, he managed to answer her. "Lux. Lux von' Halcyon."

"Lux…" Speaking his name once, she sent butterflies into the boy's stomach. "Are you here to kill me?"

"W-What..?" Accused of such a thing when he had just met her today, he couldn't help but feel wary of the girl. "N-No. No…"

She couldn't trust his words. So, she stared into his eyes. Mismatching black and blue, but she couldn't help but fall in a daze just staring at them. The blue eye, with the strange mark in it, only added to the effect.

"What do you want from me, then..?" She asked, pulling out a sword from some large object, aiming it at the lad.

'Oh, crud… I've got to make up a reason…' He gulped, holding up his arms defensively. "Listen… I came here, to know who you are…"

"To know me?" She repeated, earning a nod from the boy.

"I don't know you… But I want to know you," this time, he realised, he was actually being honest. He had thought of himself lying right now, but this was the severe truth from deep within his heart.

"And what good will that bring you?" This question had sent him for a loophole, but he recovered from it quick to deliver an answer.

 ***Nier: Automata—Copied City: Quiet, Vocals (End Song)***

 ***Nier: Automata—Copied City: Dynamic, Vocals (Play Song)***

But even before he could answer, girls in armour came in from the sky.

"They're here…" The strange girl muttered, slicing her sword through the air.

A wave of energy exerted from the blade, flying forwards and striking against the flying girls. Rockets came propelling at her, but she easily cut them apart with her gigantic sword.

"What the…" He couldn't understand this. Why was she being attacked? 'What's going on here..?'

He didn't get his answer, as the purple-haired girl leapt into the air, sending a powerful shockwave that threatened to knock him down. Even then, he managed to stand his ground, watching as she engaged those girls in armour with her weapon.

She wasn't going to lose, he knew it. She was on a different level than any of these girls. She was an Ultimate-class swordswoman fighting mere goblins, were this to be an RPG.

She dealt swing after swing, bouncing off missiles that flew at her with an energy shield, sending them backwards. She didn't bother to dodge the incoming attacks, cutting her enemies down and knocking them away.

*Thud!*

The lad yelped slightly as a girl landed just beside him. Getting a brief look at her, she possessed silver hair with light blue eyes, equipping the same armour as these other girls were weari—

"Hey, hold up! Origami?!" He screamed, gaining the girl's attention. Her eyes widened slightly. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Lux..!" She muttered, before her boosters sent her upwards, pulling out an energy sword and attempting to cut down the strange girl, but failing to do so, resulting in her wings breaking apart.

Landing on the ground once more, and forced to fight without any of her 'wings', she engaged the strange girl in a sword fight.

It was clear to him who was winning.

As much as he wished to have taken Origami's side, she was visibly failing. While she possessed the better speed here, it meant little in her duel with the mysterious girl, who was far stronger in terms of raw power and more resilient, taking damage like a tank.

They parried each other, movements becoming blurs that even the eyes could not follow. The battle was ceased once Origami was backhanded by the mysterious girl.

"Go away," the girl spoke, kicking Origami away at the gut. The force sent her jetting into a crevice formed nearby. She made movement towards the downed silver-haired girl, but was stopped by a figure. "You…"

"Don't hurt her, please…" Lux begged, outstretching his arms to either his sides as he willed himself not to get cold feet now.

"And why should I not?" She was now pointing her sword at him. "You said you wouldn't kill me… Were you lying to me earlier?"

"I am not!" He denied the accusation, a mad look on his features. "I get it! My friend here, and her team or whatever, they came here to take your life! I get it! You call them bad people! But it wouldn't make you any better if you killed them!"

And like that, here eyes widened at his words, which settled in her heart and mind.

That serious look on his face was commanding her to stand down. She couldn't understand why, but it was there.

"Tell me, you! Taking a life, it isn't wrong to do so if they tried to take yours!" He hoped his words would get across, that it would stop her from committing something that he would regret. "But if you can stop it, then… Then that's why I'm here! To stop the two of you from killing each other!"

And with that, a small movement was heard from behind him.

"Origami…" He mumbled, rushing to the downed silverette. He gently hoisted her up, slinging her arm over his shoulder.

"L-Lux…" She forced out, a bruise sporting on her right thigh. The heat from his body, however, made her ignore the pain.

"Don't talk. You're hurt," he shook his head, opening his mouth to speak to the mysterious girl once more, only to realise…

She wasn't there.

 ***Nier: Automata—Copied City: Dynamic, Vocals (End Song)***

* * *

Taking the girl to a hospital a moment later, he decided to take his leave. That is, after giving a few words.

 _"I hope you get better, Origami. And don't push yourself too much either. You don't have to explain that which you don't want to, so for now, just focus on healing."_

But of course, she had requested that they exchange contacts, of which he was more than happy to do.

And when he left her hospital room, he left behind a girl whose heartstrings he had just plucked.

Right after leaving the hospital, however, he was confronted by a woman with gray hair and eyebags, wearing a simple blue dress that ran down to her ankles.

"You must be Lux von' Halcyon, correct?" She asked in what seemed to be a tired voice.

"Yes, I am," he nodded. "And who might you be?"

"Reine Murasame," she answered. "And you are requested to meet with our commander."

"Your commander? Where are you from? The military?" He asked, earning a shake of the head. "So you're not?"

"I understand that you have questions, but I'm not the most suitable person to answer you," she explained. "As such, I request that you follow me."

"Okay, and where are we—" He never did finish his question, before green light enveloped him and the woman.

*Prrh!*

Fraxinus

"…Going to?" He blinked, realising that he was now in some room, when just before he was outside of the hospital. "Okay, this is freaky. Where the heck are we?"

"We are aboard the Fraxinus," she answered him. "Come, I'd like you to meet our commander."

Knowing that it was futile to just run away, considering that he was possibly aboard a ship or aircraft, he followed the woman down a few corridors, before arriving at an open area. He was greeted by a blonde man.

"So you must be Lux von' Halcyon," he smiled, looking ever the gentleman. "I am Kyouhei Kannazuki. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"R-Right. The same to you as well," he nodded, a bit wary that all the people here know him, before subtly shifting his head to the right, and his lower jaw hit the floor.

Because sitting in front of what seemed to be an operating table, was none other, than Kotori herself.


	3. Chapter 2

"Did we not, though?" - Speech

'We met before…' - Thoughts

 _"You don't know him."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!* - Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 2: Я тебе не позволю [}

"K-Kotori…" He breathed out.

He had been exposed to all sorts of shocking stuff in just a day. And now, to know that his little sister was actually the commander of a ship was just taking it too far.

He knew his sisters. He must! Kotori and Mana, twins who were just students! Two sweet girls who he loved with all his heart! There was no way she was the commander of whatever the hell this was!

"Good to see that you haven't kicked the bucket yet, Lux," she grinned, sending a metaphorical arrow written with 'What the hell is going on here?!' directly to his head. "Well, at least you're fine. Not in danger or anything like that."

"What is… What is this?!" He gestured to the room he was in, a look of worry and pure bafflement written everywhere on his features.

In fact, there was no one there that could truly blame him.

He had just nearly died from a spatial quake, met a girl who was capable of destroying everything on the world, which she did—she technically broke buildings like they were nothing more than dominos—and that he had to stop her from killing his friend, directly.

Don't forget that he could have died.

And as such, the redhead had long expected a reaction such as this. Any normal man who remained calm in such a situation was not normal.

Then again, she wasn't normal herself either.

"As Reine had said earlier, you are aboard the Fraxinus," Kotori rolled her eyes. "Now listen up, I've got something important to tell you, and you are—"

*Ghhk!*

"Hrgh..!" The same pain in his head returned full throttle once more, bashing against the insides of his skull.

And yet, this time, he felt heavy.

The world shifted around him like a mass of play dough, contorted into shapeless entities. He dropped to one leg, right hand strongly gripping where his stomach was.

"Lux? Lux?!" Kotori, seeing the state her brother was in, immediately jumped off from her seat, getting to him. Grabbing his shoulders, she began shaking him. "Lux?! What's wrong?!"

* * *

 _"Maybe we should stop contacting him."_

 ** _"But he doesn't know. What will happen then? At the very least, he would be prepared during such an event."_**

 _"I understand, truly I do. But we're causing him unnecessary pain here, you know. Both you and I have promised that we would not injure our protagonists."_

 ** _"I know, but… What now?"_**

 _"We've seen what will happen in 'Khaotic Afterbirth'. Just trust Young-ae."_

 ** _"I do trust him. But don't you want to at least give him a little bit of understanding before goes in there? He might, as normal humans say, freak out."_**

 _"Let's let them settle this on their own."_

 ** _"Indeed."_**

* * *

Slowly, the feeling dimmed, leaving nothing but the cold sensation of relief.

"H-Haah…" His vision restored once more, he could now see pools of his own sweat just below him. "O-Oh, damn…"

"Are you alright, Lux?" While the girl still retained a serious look on her, this time, she had an ounce of worry for him.

This didn't happen before. What was going on?

"I-I'm fine…" He forced out, stopping her before she could speak again. "I'm fine..! Just tell me what is happening right now. I want to—No… I _deserve_ to know what's going on, Kotori, so tell me."

After a moment of briefing from his sister, simplified to an understandably easy extent, Lux learned a few things about their situation.

One, his red-haired sister was the leader of an organization called the 'Ratatoskr', with the sole purpose of saving Spirits. Spirits are beings who cause these spatial quakes. The mysterious girl he's met before is a prime example of one. And then there was the 'AST', an 'Anti-Spirit Team'. Origami Tobichi was a member of such an organization, built to slay the Spirits.

"Okay, I understand the gist of things, but…" He turned on his heels, sighing as he looked into his sister's eyes. "Where is Mana? And Inori?"

"Mana is part of the 'AST', though she's merely a spy of ours to observe their movements, and report back to us," the girl answered, before sporting a worried look. "But Inori… I don't know where she went. She disappeared after we left the shelter."

"I see…" He couldn't help but worry for the girl, but there were matters that needed his attention for now. "The 'AST' kills the Spirits, I get that. But… there has to be a way to save them, right?"

"And why would you want to do that?" The organization the girl built rotated around the principle to save them in the very beginning, but she was curious to know what his response was.

*Bang!*

But she didn't expect him to suddenly slam his fist into the wall to his right, yelping in slight fear.

"Because they came here to live, not to destroy. Don't you get it? Whatever they did, these spatial quakes, it's not like they did so because they wanted to," his explanation was traced with anger, dying down as he withdrew his hand from the hole produced in the wall.

'W-We should fix that afterwards…' She gulped, shakily looking at her brother. "And you want to save them, how?"

"Don't give me that sort of rubbish, Kotori," he crossed his arms, earning a look of terror from the girl. "Your organization was built to save them. You should know."

And he was right. She does know.

Damn, he was scary when he got pissed.

"O-Okay, we do know how to save the Spirits," at this, his anger faded, leaving a calm head. She sighed in relief. "So, the whole procedure is easy, you see…"

It didn't take long for the shocking truth to dawn onto him, and the reaction he gave in return was all the more expected.

"The hell?! I have to make them fall in love with me?!" Of all the nonsensical options he had been pooling up in his mind, ranging from sealing them in containment cells or extracting their powers from inside of them, he wasn't expecting that to be the solution to all of this.

"But it's true. It's the only way that can work," the redhead sighed. "As such, we'll be having you undergo training."

"Let me guess, you're going to have me play a dating simulator game?" He crossed his arms with an unamused look.

"Technically, yes," admitting it wasn't hard. It was the reaction that she was a bit worried of.

Nonetheless, when he was taking deep breaths rather than screaming at her face, she couldn't help but feel relaxed.

"…Fine," he groaned, pulling his face downwards. "I swear, this better be worth it, Kotori. If it isn't—"

*Bang!*

And he left the room, with another hole in the wall.

"…How does he do that?" Kannazuki asked, amazed.

His sister was terrified.

* * *

Three Days Later

"Hell…" He muttered to himself, eyes bloodshot as he continued scribbling incoherent words on a piece of paper. "I've seen Hell…"

The three days—Friday and the weekends—had been used up to train him on the arts of flirting, romancing and the clichés. And yet, he hadn't expected himself to be exposed to such cringy love stories and heart-stabbing naivety of a love thing, that he was shaking each time he stared at the computer screen, making choices and the like.

He's seen multiple dating simulators. And it was hard to not say that those made in Japan were the worst.

"Oi, Lux…" Tonomachi called, a confused look adopted. "What happened?"

The boy, not saying anything for a while, rolled his head so that his mismatching eyes could stare into his friend's.

"I've seen Hell, Tonomachi…" He struggled with his words, sounding like a broken music box. "In the form of Japanese dating simulators…"

"Hey, some dating simulators aren't all that bad, you know…" The black-haired boy sighed.

"You don't know what I've seen, man…" The lad whimpered, crumpling the paper into a ball and tossing it into the dustbin in front of the class from where he sat, earning cheers of awe from his classmates. "Dear Lord… Tonomachi, trust me on this one. The sickening lesson of love that is dating simulators should have never existed, trust me on this one."

"Oh please, it's not the worst thing there is…" And just as he said it—

*Bring! Bring!*

The familiar alarms resounded once more.

"You're right…" Lux stood up, ignoring the woman's voice as she announced. "Spatial quakes are worse.

"Let's get out of here," the black-haired student called, earning a nod from his friend.

And with that, the students left the vicinity. Somewhere in the middle, Lux managed to separate himself from the students, hiding himself in a bathroom.

"Kotori," he tapped the earpiece that was plugged into his right ear. "It's a Spirit, isn't it?"

" _Yeah, it is,_ " his sister's voice came from the other line. " _It's the same one as you met before. Princess._ "

"What, is she appearing here?" He asked, earning a hum of approval from the girl.

" _Listen, Lux. The 'AST' will be coming soon, but they're built for open-field battles, not indoor duels. This should put them at a disadvantage, so you'll have all the time to interact with Princess,_ " she spoke.

"Alright, then I'll," he pulled out his book from his bag, writing in it once more as he sat on the toilet.

" _…What are you doing?_ " She asked, sounding suspicious and curious at the same time.

"I'm going to wait for Princess to come over here," he answered. "And in the meantime, I'm going to be writing something that I am under no obligation to tell you, or anyone else in this world."

" _Ehh! Come on, tell us—_ " The line was cut off by him tapping on his earpiece, deciding to play the waiting game.

* * *

Five Minutes Later

*Boom!*

"That's my cue," he whistled, setting his half-filled book into his bag once more. "Jeez… I'm risking my life for this sort of thing. I better not be dead at the end of the day…"

And yet, for some reason, he can't help as if the person in his shoes had just experienced such a thing already.

"Time to move," he told himself, slinging his bag over his shoulders and leaving the male's washroom. He was about to speak to Kotori, until he realised something. "Hang on a minute…"

The horrible three days he's spent playing those forsaken dating simulators, he's realised that most of its options were horrible, abnormal even. It was because of this that he hesitated in asking his sister for any assistance.

It was because he had done some digging around the game, only to discover the fact that _Ratatoskr_ was the one that built the dating game in the first place.

And it was because of this, that he took it off, and tinkered with it for a while, before placing it in his ear once again.

"I'll just go with the flow. Better than giving a wrong answer and risk losing my head," he smiled, taking the stairs up.

He could sense her, for some reason. She was upstairs, in some classroom.

'Pity. My school just got destroyed, and early in the year no less,' he sighed, brushing his fingers across the broken structure of the school. Or rather, what was left of it. "No matter. Time I get this done."

Arriving at the classroom, he could see her now. Standing, back facing him, as she stared at the orange sky through the wall. Or, better yet, where there was a wall before. Now, there was no such obstructions.

"Seriously..? Evening already..?" He blinked, somewhat surprised.

Deciding that it was better to make himself present than approach her in a discreet fashion, lest he wishes to rid himself the trouble of shouldering his head, which he didn't mind at all, he knocked on the broken door.

*Knock. Knock.*

"Hh..!" Almost instantly, she turned to the source of the sound, eyes that displayed slight surprise quickly shifting to that of a serious one.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he apologised, giving a short bow.

"Who are you?" She asked.

He could tell that she was wary of him. He could understand her. A stranger who came to her, with no reason whatsoever.

But he knew, despite being a stranger, he has to put his faith in her, just as he hopes to win hers.

"Lux von' Halcyon," he answered, taking a look around the broken room. "This school you accidentally destroyed… I'm a student here."

"I see," she made no movements whatsoever. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you before, didn't I?" He hoped that he wouldn't die now. He can't lose, not yet. "I came here to know who you are."

She didn't respond at first, but the realisation soon came in.

"I see… You're the human I met once before, didn't I?" He nodded in response. "You said that you weren't going to kill me. And yet, you stand here before me, to—"

"Know you better!" He interjected. "I'm not going to kill you, damn it! I know, those people that you've been fighting, they've done nothing but want to kill you! So I'm asking you, give me a chance!"

"A chance for what?" She asked, rather curious with his answer.

And when his answer came, he had thought himself to be cursed by the Goddess of Love.

"To accept you, for who or what you are!" He shouted, sounding so determined, that it took her by surprise. "I may not know what it's like to be rejected by the people around you. But… if they're too stubborn or loving you, or taking your hand, or showing you what happiness is—"

A brief flash of him as a babe, surrounded by clerics and monks, and a man with blue hair, towering above him as his wife, a silver-haired woman, laid on the bed, holding the babe in her arms with her other child, a beautiful blue-haired girl, standing close by.

"Then I'll be the one to do it!" He ended with one last shout, before falling to his knees. "Please forgive me for all my shouting, I was very tense…"

All the energy drained, he was now too tired to even move.

"Y-You would accept me?" She repeated, sounding in disbelief.

"Yup…" He nodded, standing back up. "I know, it sounds rather too good to be true, considering the treatment you've received all this time. But still, give me a chance. I promise you, I won't be like everyone else."

His words, so believable, it made her want to trust him. To give in and accept his hand.

"Y-You're not lying, are you..?" She asked, sounding unsure.

"Lying is a sin, and I'd rather not lie to you," he pointed at her. "You can basically kill me if you wanted to."

A crack of a joke, and she didn't even smile. He sweat-dropped.

"Are you really honest?" She asked once again, the uncertainty there.

"I am," he nodded. "I won't let you live like this again. Not as long as I draw breath."

And finally, for a long period of time of silence, as they stared into each other's eyes, searching for an answer, she finally relented.

"F-Fine… But you'd better not go back on your word, you know! I won't forgive you if you do!" She pouted, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Yes, I know! I promise!" He laughed finally, feeling all the tension disappearing from him. "In any case, I think I should know what your name is, considering that I've given you mine, right?"

"Oh, that… I don't have a name, actually," she shook her head, before a smile came up. "Neh, Lux, what would you like to call me?"

* * *

Meanwhile—Fraxinus

"What do you mean we're not connected to him?!" Kotori's voice boomed in the room, everyone hearing her crystal clear.

"We're not sure. There seems to be an interference with his earpiece," Reine shook her head.

"Damn it! Without our help, Lux won't be able to get her in love with him!" The redhead screeched, visibly annoyed. "All personnel, search for a way to bypass this interference!"

"Hai!" Everyone answered with full vigour, getting down to work just as quick.

* * *

*Ccrkk…*

"Seriously, I have zero idea on what you'd like your name to be, so…" He placed away the chalk, sighing afterwards. "I've come up with a list of what I could think of."

Now, on the blackboard, there were dozens of names written down, white and clear for the girl to see.

She wasted no time, scanning through the names as she tried to think of one suitable for her. However…

"Nggh… I don't know! Lux, _you_ should choose!" She was no longer serious as before, sounding much more jolly and carefree.

"Okay, okay… Calm down, girl…" And yet, there was no way he could find himself hating her.

Thinking back now, he had met the girl on the tenth this month, a few days ago. Now converting that to the two Japanese language systems there were, which was 'Sino-Japanese' and 'Native Japanese', he could use either jū or tō. He went with the second option.

Putting 'tenth' in the most simplest translators there were, one would be presented either with 10-Nichi or Dai 10-kai.

Putting together the words in his mental mixer in a random fashion, he tried to think up of a nice-sounding name. And finally—

*Snap!*

"That's it!" His fingers snapped as his answer came, the girl titling her head in curiosity. "Tohka! That'll be your name from now on. What do you think?"

"Tohka, you say..?" She repeated the word once more.

Nodding, he erased all the words on the blackboard, before writing the characters for her name on the lower right side of the board. He watched her eye it intently, before rewriting the characters by emitting a minute laser ray on the surface of the board, just beside where he wrote it.

"Tohka… Tohka… I like it!" She smiled brightly, accepting of this new name.

"Haa… Thank you," he sighed in relief, leaning against the wall. "You know, asking someone to name you is not easy task. I mean, it's what you're going to be called as for the rest of your life, after all."

"Ahh, sorry about that… It's just…" She touched the board of where she wrote her name, smiling. "I like it. The name you gave me, Tohka."

"Well, that settles it then," he chuckled, ready to say something—

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Gunshots suddenly flew from the sky, aimed directly at Tohka. With her casting a barrier over herself in just a flash, the bullets failed to hit her, merely creating smoke to fly around them.

"Well, that should keep you safe…" The boy blinked, rather surprised that such a thing happened.

"Crud… It's the Mecha-mecha squad…" She muttered, missing the way her friend snorted in response to her words.

Who wouldn't find such a title hilarious?

"Lux," she faced him. "You should go. You'll get caught in the firing if you remain here."

"No," he answered, surprising her. "I promised you just earlier that I'm not leaving you alone."

To get his point across, he left the room, which confused her for a bit, until he returned with a table and two chairs. Placing the table close to her, he gave her a seat, while he sat opposite of her.

"You and I, we're going to get to know each other better. And I don't care how we'll do it, we will do it," he steeled himself to be brave, and it worked miraculously, since the Spirit sat before him as well.

"You are a really strange human," she smiled.

"It's the strange things that you're able to accept more easily sometimes," he chuckled, brushing his hand through his hair. "So now, let's get to it."

* * *

Minutes passed. Then an hour. Then another hour.

He had removed the bug that he installed in his earpiece, allowing communication with his sister once again. He got an earful from her, mostly out of worry since he didn't reveal the part where he tampered with it in the first place.

Just to clear any suspicion, he admitted to the Spirit that he was talking to his sister through his earpiece. However, instead of stating that they were telling him how to woo her and the like, he gave her the reason that he always does this to speak with his sister from far away, thankful that she accepted such a simple excuse.

"So you have sisters?" She asked, deeply curious about this boy.

"Yup. One is Mana, and the other is Kotori. Both of them are twins," he nodded his head. "And you? Do you have any family?"

"No, not really," she shook her head.

"Ahh… Forgive me for that," he coughed into his fist, ignoring how the 'AST' was still firing at her. "So tell me, where do you go when you're not here? I mean, you must have gone somewhere, right?"

"I'm not sure… I feel as if, I've gone to another world besides this one," she kept her gaze to the floor. "My body naturally disappears, and I go there. And then, I sleep."

"So you're saying that you do not possess the ability to go to this world on your own?" His question was met with a nod.

"And then, the world would push me to this one, even if I don't want to," she spoke.

"Kotori was right. You guys didn't cause the spacial quakes to begin with. It was an accident…" He whispered to himself.

" _Alright Lux, now's the time!_ " His sister's voice came from the other side. " _Her happiness meter is at a good level now! It's—_ "

"Hey, do not treat this like a game, Kotori!" He chided, earning a look of confusion from the Spirit. "Sorry. My sister tends to see things from a gaming perspective. Like… whenever we do cooking, she says that my cooking level is fifty-six, whereas hers is thirty-seven."

"Gaming?" She repeated, invisible question marks floating everywhere around her head.

"Ehh, it's a sort of entertainment for humans," he shrugged. "In any case, can I speak to Kotori about something for a while?"

"Of course," Tohka nodded.

"Hey Kotori, you were about to say it's time to do something. Do what though?" He asked.

" _Oh, come now. You should understand what I mean,_ " the sister chuckled in amusement. " _Lux, you remember how I told you how to seal Spirits' powers?_ "

"…Oh, you have got to be kidding me…" He groaned. "Kotori, please tell me that you're joking."

" _I'm not. This is the proper time, Lux. But, in order to do so, you must get their happiness to maximum. And as such, the best way is to get them to go on a date with you,_ " the redhead explained, another clear groan right after. " _So come on, Lux! Date! Date!_ "

" _Date! Date! Date! Date! Date!_ "

"Oh my God, alright! Alright! I'll do it!" He yelled, unable to accept this. And yet, he knew he had to do it. It was either that, or let 'AST' handle things. And he was not going to let them kill her. "Tohka, this is a very huge manner that I must ask of you, and you have every obligation to deny."

"What is it?" She titled her head.

"Can we…" And he knew, the moment he said it, things were going to get serious. "Go on a date, perhaps..?"

The ever awaited moment of silence, dulled by the sounds of his heartbeats, ringing cloudy in his ears as he anticipated the answer. She would say 'no', he knew it. She would deny him, and would possibly try to kill him, and—

"What's a 'date'?" She asked.

Insert: facepalm.

"You know… I can't just use words to explain them you know…" He sheepishly chuckled, scratching the back of his head in uncertainty. "But, if I were to use words, it would be…"

*Crack!* *Thud!*

"Oh jeez," he blinked, realising that a part of the ceiling just dropped. "In any case… What I wanted to say—"

*Shing!*

Again, he was cut off. But this time, rather than producing a sound by having another brick drop to the ground, it was a plasma sword that sliced against the barrier around Tohka. And of course, it wasn't just anyone either. In fact…

"Origami?" He had lost all sense of surprise, now knowing that one of his classmates was part of the 'AST'. This time, however, he was surprised when she suddenly jumped off of the Spirit's barrier, standing in front of him with her blade raised towards the Spirit.

"Thank goodness… I made it in time too," she spoke, earning a questioning stare from the boy.

"Made it in time for what, though?" He asked, but she ignored him, staring at the purple-dressed girl with her eyes narrowed into a leering fashion.

"Codenamed: Princess. You really are low, to bring in a civilian as your hostage," she clicked her tongue in chagrin.

"Actually, I came to her in the first place," he corrected her, gaining a bewildered look from his classmate. "I'm not kidding. I came here to negotiate with her. This way, she wouldn't be causing anymore spatial quakes as she has before this."

"Are you sure?" She trusted him, but not as much as she did for the Spirit.

"Yes, so put down the sword," he pointed at her weapon. "And just let me handle things. I won't let you do this."

"Yeah, I agree!" Another girl voiced out.

"Ah, see? If Mana says she's fine with it, then you should—Hold up, Mana?! What are you doing here?!" He screamed out, a sheepish chuckle escaping her. He hadn't seen her for quite a period of time since…

Well, he did see her during breakfast, of course.

"Wait, I thought Kotori told you that I'm part of the 'AST'?" She tucked loose strands behind her ear.

"Oh yeah, she did. I forgot…" He sighed, calming down. "Okay, that's one question down. Now then…"

He patted his sides, getting rid of the dust on his pants and shirt. He looked at the three girls around him, all awaiting his next words.

"Can we please not fight? If you guys make any mistakes, and that mistake goes to me, I'm not playing this game again," he raised his arms in a defensive manner.

"What do you mean?" Tohka asked, not understanding his strange manner of speech.

"Okay… Now, let's talk about why you girls are much more powerful than me, alright?" At that, he pointed at Mana and Origami. "Both of you have these strange armours on you, making you much less susceptible to any death situations," he pointed to Tohka next. "And you're basically invincible, considering that you're not even a human. But me…"

He laughed, scared.

"I'm a human, guys. Yes, Origami and Mana, you girls are too, but you have protection. Not me," he finished, taking a step back. "So please don't try to do anything rash. I can seriously die…"

"Oh…" All three girls let out an unanimous hum of understanding, all sharing the same look as well. "We get it."

"Yes, so please…" He sighed, picking up his bag. "Tohka, meet me here tomorrow. Origami, you should go home. And Mana, let's go."

"R-Right," she nodded, before waving at the other girls. "See you two next time!"

"And Mana," he turned around, close to the door. "You can bring your sword and armour into the house. But if I find anything broken…"

*Crack!*

"There are consequences to pay…" He spoke in a hefty fashion, hand on his knuckle that he had just cracked.

"H-H-Hai, Nii-sama…" She shook as she nodded her head, following after him.

And now, Origami and Tohka, looking at one another, shared a silent, mutual agreement.

Never make Lux angry, or else.

* * *

The Next Day

Lux had promised himself that he would wear the jacket that he found that day, and so, for today, he did.

He came to the school building today, shut down because it was now destroyed, wearing his white jacket with the bunny ears on the hood, with a different school's uniform underneath. He kept the grey trousers on, as well as the blue-white striped tie.

The reason why he didn't take off the black blazer, and wear Raizen's white school uniform, was that it didn't fit at all, since his jacket was already white.

Waiting outside of his school, he noticed that there were no spatial quakes that occurred around the area. He wondered why, remembering the fact that, whenever a Spirit enters the human realm, a spatial quake would occur.

Putting aside that fact, he could only imagine the Spirit to come here, in that purple dress of hers.

"Lux!" Her voice coming from the opposite direction of where he was looking at, he found her standing before him in a, he guessed it, the same dress as usual.

"Ah, Tohka. You came," he smiled, before gesturing to her outfit. "And no offence, but I don't think you should be wearing this in public."

"Huh? Why not?" She asked, sounding confused.

"I mean, think about it. When's the last time you've seen any humans wearing something as attractive as what you're wearing now?" He missed the blush produced on her face. "No, right? So listen. We need you to blend in."

"And blend in _how_?" She asked back.

"By wearing something that can be regarded as common here," he shrugged, taking her hand in his. "And I have an idea. Come with me."

"W-What? Lux!" She was unable to do anything as he dragged her away.

* * *

She had expected him to pull her to some forbidden place, or possibly a secret laboratory. He made it sound so serious, that it must have been a drastic measure or something similar to that.

She didn't expect him to drag her to the bathroom in his school.

Arriving there, he pushed aside a displaced floor tile, revealing a bag. Before she even had the chance to ask him how he found it, he had shoved a pile of clothes at her, telling her to wear it. Deciding to comply to his request, she did so.

She revealed herself after a while, and it was hard not to look away.

She wore the female school uniform that fitted her body quite well. That black blazer of hers, as well as the short skirt and socks, carved out her edges quite well, intensifying her beauty.

"Uhh…" He turned away, face a bright flush. "You… look great."

"Really?" She blushed as well, but the joyful smile she had remained in place.

"Yup. So now…" He took the bag from earlier and placed it on the sink. "Let's go on our date now, shall we?"

"Okay!" She nodded, ready.

* * *

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Galdin Quay (Play Song)***

"Ooh, Nii-sama…" Mana had to hold herself back from interfering with her brother's date, lest she would be the receiving end of his blunt chides.

He was never one to resort to physical harm, considering that he loved his sisters very much. However, should they have done anything wrong, he was more than fine to put in some harsh statements here and there.

She wanted to be there to protect him in case things went south, but she knew that doing so would count as not complying to his demands. As such, she had to stay away.

"Damn it…" Origami had to refrain from going in there and attacking the Spirit, lest she suffer a defeat at Tohka's hands. She knew just how strong the Spirit was in comparison to her, after all.

Besides, she learnt of the scary treatment that the sisters were subjected to whenever they had done something wrong. Of course, he never did something because he wanted to, but to teach them of their mistakes.

And just from that alone, she silently promised to herself and the boy that she would do nothing.

Yesterday, right after he and Mana had gone home, he had called over Tohka and Origami to his house. The latter two were wondering what was going on, until he revealed his plans to them all.

The following day, he would be going on a date with Tohka. Kotori and Mana could understand why, since this was the plan of Ratatoskr; to save all Spirits. Origami, whilst still reluctant to allow them to go on, decided to allow it to continue.

Then again, it wasn't like any of them could defy his word. He may just be a simply human, for now, but he was still scary nonetheless.

Anyways, they were now going on with their plan.

"Hwuaah!" Tohka's eyes gleamed at the sight of such a foreign object, out of her reach as it was kept in a glass container. "Lux! What is that!"

"It's called a baguette," he answered, walking towards the cashier. "I'd like to buy one of these."

"Right," he nodded, pulling out the bread and placing it into a paper bag, before handing it to his customer. "That'll be two hundred yen."

"Got it," he nodded, withdrawing the amount from his wallet. He handed it to the baker, before giving the paper bag with the bread to his friend. "Now Tohka, this bread is part of what is called food. It's something you can eat."

" _Eat_?" She asked, confused.

"Eat is something that us humans do," he shrugged. "It's where we put food in our mouths. Of course, you'll have to bite it and swallow it. Trust me, it's good."

She didn't know what to expect, but decided to learn firsthand. Doing what she was told, she placed the bread into her mouth, and bit into it.

"Hghh..!" Her eyes widened as such a flavour exploded in her mouth. Swallowing it, the heat of the food travelled down her throat in such a comforting manner that she felt herself so satisfied. "It's so delicious..!"

'You didn't know how to eat, but knew the word 'delicious' in the first place?' He sweat-dropped.

"So this isn't a date, is it?" She asked, earning a nod. "Is it because it's not delicious enough?"

"Ahh… Well, I'll give you the definition at the end of this," he sighed, scratching the back of his head. 'She may have been so serious earlier… Right now, it's like I'm dealing with an entirely new person.'

But that didn't mean that he didn't like this new her. She was still a likeable person, added with more emotions than constantly being serious.

"Whoa, what's that!" She giggled, running towards a satay stall and pointing at the sticks with meat on them.

"Those, Tohka, are satays. Meat that has been grilled and skewered," he answered, before purchasing the food from the man with the apron, handing it to Tohka. "Be careful. It's hot."

Again, the happy expression she gave off after eating it was just too unbearable. For such a beautiful girl, she can be pretty air headed at times.

But he knew, for a fact, that he was going to enjoy this.

Walking under the sun, with such a perfect mood like this, he couldn't help but feel as if everything had been staged for his date with Tohka.

"Tohka, do you want to try this?" He pointed at the crêpe that he had just bought. He brought it close to her mouth, earning a blush from the girl. "Don't worry, I won't do anything unnecessary. Go on."

"O-Okay…" She nodded cutely, shyly taking a bite from the pastry. Her eyes widened in response. "I-It's good!"

"Mmhm. This is called a crêpe," he told her. He ate half of it, before allowing his Spirit companion to finish the rest, which she was happy to do so. "Okay, what else would you like to try?"

"Mmm… We've done so many foods, so I want to try that!" She pointed to the large plastic container that held orange liquid.

"Ahh, the all-time favourite orange juice," he grinned, paying for that before giving the cup of juice to the girl. She downed it in one go, giggling at how good it tasted. "Just for your info, orange is a fruit, which can be eaten. In this case, you're _drinking_ juice, a liquid."

"I see…" She nodded, before pointing a finger at him, smiling. "You're very smart, Lux!"

"A-Ah… It's just general knowledge, really…" He chuckled, scratching the back of his head, noticing the looks he was getting from the public.

"Hey Lux!" The boy turned to the source of the sound, realising that it was Tonomachi, with his black hair and monkey-like face as always—he didn't dare to mention the second part.

"Tonomachi? What the heck are you doing here?" He cocked an eyebrow, surprised to see him here.

"Just came to say 'hello'. Oh, and I wanted to tell you of this really nice restaurant I saw a few days ago," he smiled, holding up two tickets. "You see, this stranger gave them to me, but it's not like my girlfriend can come with me."

"Right… Because she's in a phone," he rolled his eyes, chuckling in amusement. Sometimes, Tonomachi can be pretty hilarious.

"And as such, since I can see you with a pretty girl," he laughed a slow laugh at the end of his sentence, eyeing the girl. "I suggest that you give it a go with her. Who knows? You might get something you like there."

"You sure about this?" He asked, but the tickets were pushed into his hands just as quick.

"Don't worry about me! You focus on having a fun time with your hot chick~!" He cooed, laughing at the blush that formed on his friend's face as he walked away.

"Damn it… The guy sure knows how to make a good timing whenever he wants to…" He sighed, before looking at the tickets. Right after, his face paled. "Oh, damn…"

"What is it, Lux?" Tohka arrived by his side, a curious look adopted.

"This is a family restaurant, and the really expensive ones…" He gulped, looking to where his classmate once stood at. "Who in the world gave these to him..?"

"Lux! Come on! He gave these tickets to us, let's go~!" She dragged him by his hand, running in a direction.

"It's the opposite direction!" He yelled.

 ***Final Fantasy XV—Galdin Quay (End Song)***

* * *

It took some time navigating, but they finally found it. After so many tries, no less.

It didn't matter. Finally, they've found the place they were looking for. It was trying, to be honest, but it was worth it in the end.

"Well, let's see what they have in store for us, huh?" He spared a simple smile to the girl, who returned the gesture.

He pushed the door open, hearing the chimes ring.

 ***Assassin's Creed: Syndicate—Waltzing on Rooftops and Cobblestones (Play Song)***

"Whoa…" Stepping into the expensive restaurant, he was given a view of what seemed to be medieval-styled. There were tables of wood, couches—because he knew people would complain if there weren't any couches—and a tavern-like wine area. And yet, he knew that behind that section, was the kitchen.

He daresay, he was impressed. The musicians in the back were playing such a good music too. It felt so old-style, yet possessing a dashing trait unparalleled by modern sonatas.

"Wow, this place looks nice!" Tohka admired the place, looking everywhere.

"Yeah, I can agree with you on that," he nodded. They had done so much to make this seem so real too.

There were realistic-looking vines delicately placed around the windows. Then there was the huge wine barrel, with a maid by the bar—

"Kotori?" He would recognize that red hair anywhere. "What the heck? Are you working here?"

"A-Ahaha… Well," she scratched the side of her face. "I mean, you _are_ going on a date, and the Fraxinus crew is helping you out, which does include me after all."

"Ahh, I see…" He nodded, before taking a seat at a table with Tohka, taking the menu from Kotori with a grateful smile. "Now let's see…"

He didn't mind on what he was going to eat. In fact, he would have settled for just a salad too. He wasn't picky. Tohka, on the other hand…

"Whoa..! This looks good! But this one does too..!" She bit the insides of her cheek, pondering on which food she should buy. "Ahh, there's so many choices! How am I going to choose..!"

"We technically have tickets, after all," he sweat-dropped. "Just choose anything."

"May I see that ticket, please?" She asked. Her brother nodded, placing the pieces of paper in her lithe hands. She skimmed it, but he noticed that devilish smirk she had. "Well then, I would suggest to you the 'What about this one?' selection?"

"Huh? / What kind of name is that even?" Both Tohka and Lux gave their reactions at the same time.

And a good ten minutes passed, before the selection finally came to their tables.

"Holy bolognese… That does make you wonder 'what about this one'…" He gulped, the sheer amount of food presented on his table making his stomach quiver. "There is no way I can eat all of this…"

That was in his case, and anyone else's. For Tohka, however…

"Mmngh! Sooo good~!" She hummed, downing all the foods like it's a clearance sale. "And this too~!"

"Jesus… How in the world is she eating all of that..?" Lux blinked rapidly, unable to believe what he was seeing. She was making this look too easy.

"Well, at least she's having fun, huh?" His sister snickered, she too impressed at how the Spirit was consuming everything in just a few heartbeats. "Well then, brother, it's time."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Time to start the date."

 ***Assassin's Creed: Syndicate—Waltzing on Rooftops and Cobblestones (End Song)***

* * *

"Which has technically started from the very beginning, but it was kind of cool to say…" He sighed. "But seriously? How is Ratatoskr able to fund _all of this_?"

When Kotori told him to bring Tohka to the south of the station, which was just a plain old residential area, he hadn't expected for the crew to turn it into some food fair.

There were the crew from Fraxinus here as well, disguised as merchants selling food and masters of the games.

"Congratulations!" Someone yelled, before confetti filled the air, raining down the couple.

"To the young boy and girl standing before us today!" Kowagoe proudly announced their presence. "You are the 100th people to have ever come to this shopping arcade! And as such, anything you'd wish to eat here is FREE!"

"A-A-All of this..?" At that, the boy's face had lost all of its colour, realizing that he could only eat so much. 'Then again, this is more of Tohka's alley, so I guess I should be thankful. She'll eat everything there is in my place, I suppose..?'

"Ooh, let's try that one, Lux!" She pointed at a hotdog stand, and the boy couldn't help but laugh as she dragged him with her.

"Of course. Lead the way," he had long given up on trying to change the flow. This was better than he initially thought.

Hours of eating and running, and more eating, Lux had placed aside the thought of how things even turned out to be this way.

He wanted to admit just how much fun he was having. With this girl, running from stall to stall, competing in friendly food brawls—as he'd like to call it, by seeing who can eat the most number of foods faster, which was definitely Tohka's second nature—and exploring the human town, he found himself sensing the everyday beauty of the world once more.

Maybe he should take up painting? Sketch a tree, or paint the sky? In his mind, he knew that he'd need extensive training first and foremost.

But he ignored all these thoughts of the future, and focused on the present.

"Lux, look!" She pointed to a gigantic fish, steaming hot as the cook charred its meat using coal. "Let's eat that!"

"Oh? Taking on one of the mini-bosses together? Sure, let's go for it," he snickered, realising that he was getting off-track with his way of speech.

Then again, he was having fun with a girl his age—maybe? Let them have their fun.

* * *

Lux's Home

Right after the lad and his date had left the restaurant, Kotori had returned home, putting on her commander's outfit once again. She came upon Mana in the living room.

"It's kinda' weird how Nii-sama said that he wanted to do things his way…" Mana sighed, resting her head on the couch. "Do you think he can do it?"

"Well… If anyone can, I'd say it's him. I mean, he technically managed to befriend the Spirit, even when we weren't able to communicate with him," Kotori answered, still not realising that it was her brother himself that tampered with the earpiece.

"Yeah… I suppose you're right about that," the bluenette grinned, staring up into the ceiling. "I just hope nothing goes wrong. I have a bad feeling in my stomach…"

"Don't jinx it!" The redhead sniped, standing up. "In any case, we should leave for the Fraxinus. We'll watch over him from there."

"Wouldn't that count as invading Nii-sama's privacy..?" The other girl asked, gulping in slight concern.

"Don't worry, it should be okay. We're not interfering directly, after all," the red-haired girl shook her head in reassurance. "Now come on. We've got a job to do."

* * *

Two Hours Later

In all the times he's taken girls out, he's never truly done it with _just_ one person.

The times before this, Lux had gone to restaurants with a few classmates. In fact, he never went to one with just one person. Most of the times, it would consist of him, as well as a few boys and girls.

It was because of this that he was rather likeable by his class and everyone else, upperclassmen and kouhai's included. And it was because of this that he felt himself grateful to have experienced something new such as this.

To hold a girl's hand… To enjoy eating and playing with her. To know that it was just him and her.

Maybe this was what love was like? But the plan here was to make her fall for him.

Then again… Was it wrong to fall for her in the process? Possibly not.

"Neh Lux, what is that?" She pointed to an arcade station.

"It's a place where us humans go to play games with or against each other," he answered. "Wanna' go check it out?"

"Yes, please!" She nodded, and he was more than happy to comply.

Main reason being that he'd never have to smell or eat anything else for now. He swore he was about to throw up on a few occasions before this.

Entering it, they were presented with a familiar view—to Lux—of machines with colours flashing and large glass containers. There were a few people here and there, but not enough that it was too crowded.

"Here, you are able to play games to win prizes, ranging from free candy to phones, sometimes, to other objects," he informed her. "Do you have anything you'd like to try?"

"Hmm… Let me see…" She hummed, staring at each objects intently. While all of them looked nice, she couldn't truly make a decision.

Seeing how she seemed to struggle, he took her hand, taking her towards those claw-machines.

"Where are we going?" Tohka asked.

"I'm taking you to one of the machines I saw in the back. I think you'll like what you'll see," the boy grinned, walking towards one of the large glass containers.

Arriving at his designated location, he was right off the spot. She was instantly attracted to what she saw.

The machine had what she could only assume to be a 'claw', with dozens of life-sized doughnuts scattered everywhere inside of it.

"They're so big~!" She gasped, face glued to the glass as her eyes bulged wide and stared at the beautiful doughnuts in this box.

"Now, before you ask me whether we can eat this or not, the answer is no," he chuckled at the pout she made. "It's more of a pillow than a real food if you ask me. So, do you want it?"

"Yeah!" She nodded, slapping her palms against the glass. "How do we get it?"

"Wait here," he rushed to where the receptionist were, buying a few tokens. Returning to Tohka, he held up a token in his hand. "We use these to play the games in the arcade. Now come on. Let's get you a doughnut."

*Kh-chunk!*

The token slipped easily into the machine's slim mouth, before the lights of the controls blinked and brightened in endless strokes, now alive.

"So we're going to use this," he pointed at the controls, the Spirit entirely focused on his words. "To move that," his finger moved to the claw next. "To grab these," he gestured to the doughnuts.

"Ooh~! I want a donut!" She smiled brightly, earning a chuckle from the lad.

"Aye. Now, let's see here…" Stepping into the player's spot, he got himself ready. "Which one do you prefer?"

"That one! The chocolate with sprinkles," she answered, pointing at her preference. Looking at it, he realized that it was in a position that made it exceptionally hard to obtain.

But this wasn't _impossible_. As such, he he was not going to back down from a simple fight like this.

"Got it," he nodded.

*Bzzz..!*

Holding down on the buttons, he kept his eye entirely on the claw, watching the angle of the device and its position. As the claw got closer and closer, he now just had to move it upwards.

Thankfully, this claw-machine had three buttons; two for moving the claw leftwards and up, and the other to grab the object.

Slowly, ever the cautious fellow he was, he made sure to keep the movement of the device slow and precise, hoping to get his target at the right moment.

And now, the device was dangling directly above the food pillow. Checking it, again, and again, and again until he was satisfied, he turned to Tohka.

"If you'll do the honours?" He gestured to the third button, flashing green, with a smile.

Nodding seriously, she tapped it.

*Click!* *Bzzz!*

"..!" Both Spirit and human watched as the device slowly moved downwards, opening up to capture the pillow.

Was what Tohka thought. But what Lux had in mind—

*Cnk!*

'Nailed it…' He grinned, grateful that he managed to capture the extra piece on the pillow. It was that soft, tissue-like tag on an object that displayed brief info about it.

"It's working!" The Spirit's eyes gleamed bright at the sight before her.

"Calm down. We don't know if it's going to work or not," he chuckled, admiring her energetic side.

The claw slowly moved upwards, pulling the pillow with it. While the tag may be quite small, his method was working quite finely.

"Just a bit more…" He sucked air through clenched teeth, putting all his cents that this would work.

Closer… Closer. Now it was near the dropping area.

Directly above..!

*Tk!*

"Yeah!" The couple screamed together, overjoyed that they won, with everyone else staring at the couple in confusion.

They didn't mind the stares. Just this small sense of victory dulled any other emotions.

* * *

Park

After some time later, Lux decided to take his friend to the park atop the mountain. They had their fun, he thought, and he needed time to relax.

His body was sore, his mind was pooped, and his energy was drained. Even then, he was ready from the very beginning of this date to finish things.

'Evening, setting sun, silence… I didn't even ask for this,' he mentally chuckled, catching sight of Tohka staring at the sun, hugging her pillow close to her. 'She really likes that thing, huh?'

Ever since he got that doughnut for his companion, she had been practically attached to it. He supposed it was fine. She does like food, after all.

Everything so far felt so perfect. Although, he would've liked it if he didn't have to eat so much. His stomach was slowly beginning to calm down, and he was thankful that he hadn't touched any more since then.

 ***Xenoblade Chronicles—Memories (Play Song)***

"How was today, Tohka?" He decided to take it slow. He wanted to play his cards right.

"Today was really fun, although… We didn't discover what a date was…" She sighed in disappointment, broken by his laughter. "What?"

"Sorry, sorry. I suppose I should've told you earlier from the get-go," he finished laughing, looking to the sky. "A simpler way to put it, is when a girl and boy go out together, but it's just the two of them, and they have fun and the like."

"Ohh! So that's what a date is!" She made a loud 'Ohh!', understandingly. "Then I can say that we had a pretty great date!"

"That," and he nodded his head. "I can agree on, wholeheartedly."

"Yeah! We really had so much fun today! I can't believe that humans eat delicious things!" She giggled, twirling on the spot before meeting the sun's gaze.

"Yeah. And talking about humans, what'd I tell ya'? None were out for your head, am I right?" At his question, she gave a brief nod.

"Yeah… All of them were so nice," she remembered the people she's met in the course of her date with the boy, realising that not all of them were vicious people.

"Hey Tohka," he called her, earning her attention. He sat himself on one of the swings. "Do you have a dream?"

"A dream?" She repeated, earning a nod. She mulled over the thought for a while, before coming up with an answer. "Umm… Ooh, I know! I want to try out all the food in the world!"

'Yup. Sounds like Tohka,' he chuckled at the response.

"And what about you, Lux?" She asked, sitting on the swing beside him.

"Me? Well…" He scratched the side of his face, contemplating on whether or not he should be saying this. Ultimately, he decided to share his part. "I remembered I had a different family before this current one. Before Kotori and Mana…"

"What do you mean?" She unintentionally pushed him on, curious as to what he meant.

"Well, it's just… I remembered an old memory when I was very little, long ago," he informed her. "You see… I had a different family. Before Kotori and Mana were my sisters, I had parents, and an older sister. Of course, I don't regret having them as my sisters! It's just, I'd like to see my old family, is all."

"And do you remember how they looked like?" The Spirit pushed herself slightly forwards, testing this strange mechanism she sat upon.

"No, not anymore… But," at that, he thrusted his hand forwards into the sky, hands clenching to imitate the action of capturing the sun. "I want to know who they are. Why we got separated. That is all."

He looked to her, pointing at his eye.

"This mark, I know it has to mean something. Neither Kotori nor Mana possess these birthmarks. I've had this my whole life," he explained, before stepping away form the swings. "And that's my dream. Kinda' strange, huh?"

"No, not really," the Spirit shook her head, standing up. "Everyone has their own dreams, right? It isn't wrong if you want to find your family again."

"Yeah, I can see what you mean," he chuckled, realising that she sounded wiser than even she herself could give herself credit for. "Thanks."

"For?" She tilted her head in questioning.

"For going on this date with me, and helping me clear my mind of things. I have been pretty lost if you'd ask me," he chuckled, folding his arms behind his head. "So hey, I was thinking…"

…No, he thought. It would be too soon.

"What is it?" Tohka stepped closer to him, the urge to know already very strong. She held the pillow in her embrace.

"I thought that, to commemorate for our first date, we could… do something?" His face now a bright red, he couldn't hold back the embarrassment.

"Of course, anything!" She nodded, oblivious to what he was going to do.

"Yes, well, you see—" And he never finished his sentence.

All good things shall always find an end, after all.

 ***Xenoblade Chronicles—Memories (End Song)***


	4. Chapter 3

"Did we not, though?" - Speech

'We met before…' - Thoughts

 _"You don't know him."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!* - Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 3: È tempo di combattere. [}

Flashback—Years Ago

 _"He's growing up to be a pretty fine boy, huh?" A female with braided white hair chuckled, watching as her blue-haired son shape flowers into a crown._

 _"You're right about that," her husband, possessing the hair of blue, smiled alongside her. "You know… Since there's no more war or anything, do you think we should teach him how to fight?"_

 _"Oh, you. Always thinking about war," the wife rolled her eyes._

 _"W-Well, it could be for self-defense, in case he'd ever get attacked," he chuckled._

 _"Oh, hush. He doesn't need that," she chided. "If there are no more dangers in this world, why learn to fight? Don't worry so much, he'll do fine."_

 _"Hhaa… If you say so," he sighed._

 _But the two smiled when they saw their son being approached by his sister, before he offered her the crown of flowers. Another girl, with white hair however, came up to the boy, kissing him on his forehead. The husband and wife smiled warmly at that. Subconsciously, the mother brushed her hand against her stomach._

 _"You're getting a new sister soon… Make sure to take good care of her," she whispered to no one in particular._

* * *

Present

"Yes, well, you see—" Before Lux even managed to complete his sentence, he caught sight of something happening in the air. "What in the world…"

"Hmm?" Tohka, curious as to what elicited such a reaction from him, turned to look at the source of his surprise, only to see—

*Khh!*

Light particles seemed to suddenly gather into an orb, shaping itself like play dough. Multiple times it contracted and relaxed, before it suddenly dispersed, blinding them. When they opened their eyes once more, strings of characters revolved around a 'mouth', before it opened up into a circular hole, with shards protruding from everywhere on its edge.

Edge, because a circle does not have edges.

"W-What is that..?" Lux paled, taking a step back. He had left his bag behind, and thus, his weapon, the knife. "Tohka," he took her hand, pulling her with him, softly. "We should probably get out of here…"

But the object held no agreements with his suggestion, promptly forcing out two creatures out of the mouth.

These muscular beings, lacking any human characteristics beside the body, had no sense of life in it. Its breath a dark black, staining the air with such toxic filth as it limply dropped to the ground, forcing themselves up after a while.

Lux wouldn't have minded taking them on, but these things were brandishing axes. And they were wearing freaking armour. What are they?

*RrhaUAAA!*

Without any warning, one of them rushed towards the couple, wielding its axe in its right before leaping into the air, bringing down the iron weapon in one fell swoop.

*Chung!*

The metal made contact with just the ground, missing its targets.

"We need to get out of here…" Lux gulped, lucky that he managed to get him and Tohka out of harm's way. "Come on, let's go!"

"R-Right!" Those followed the boy, allowing him to drag her away.

* * *

Aboard the Fraxinus

"What _are_ those things?" Kotori couldn't believe what was happening.

She had been monitoring Lux and Tohka this entire time. The date her brother and the Spirit were on was going so well, until a portal literally just opened up in the air, and summoned two creatures to kill them both.

What she was seeing were two disgusting humanoid-like beings that had no life in them, yet had the will to kill anything on sight. Brandishing axes with armour worn by typical barbarians, she couldn't put a finger on what had just been seen.

Luckily, Lux managed to flee the area with Tohka. But those things were still there, and they posed a threat to humanity.

"I want those things exterminated, no matter what," the redhead spoke in a sense of seriousness, responded with a nod from her blueberry-haired sister.

"You got it," Mana nodded, racing off to round up her team and fight off these creatures. They dare try to hurt her brother, and now they were going to get it.

"Be careful, Lux…" Kotori muttered to no one in particular.

* * *

In the City

"H-Holy cow…" The bluenette panted, clutching his stomach. "I should run more… Tohka, are you alright..?"

"I-I'm fine," she nodded. "But, what were those things..?"

"I don't know… And I'd rather not know," he breathed out one last time, before standing to full height. "In any case… My sisters should probably be handling this by now. Let's leave them to it, alright?"

"Can they truly do it?" She asked in slight worry.

"Trust them, Tohka," he offered her a simple smile. "My sisters are both a commander of some ship, and a soldier who can fight respectively. If anyone can handle these sort of situations, I bet it's them."

"Hmm… Okay, I'll believe you then," she finally smiled.

"Good. Now come on, and let's—" His words were ended on a short note, when he noticed that he was being approached by a girl with pink hair. "Hang up… Inori?"

"Lux," she nodded, as if he were greeting her.

"W-Wha, how and when'd you… Hhhaa…" He sighed, tired of the way his normal life was anything but normal now. "Where did you go when you and my sisters went to the shelter?"

"I'm part of a group, so I returned to it," she answered. "In any case, you're being attacked. You need protection."

"Yes, well, I could protect myself, but as you can see," he gestured at himself. "I don't have a weapon. And unlike you, who's pretty good with her fist, I doubt I can do much."

"Then come with me," she told him, gaining an eyebrow raise from him. "Trust me."

"Well, if I'm coming with you, Tohka here has to come as well," he gestured at the purplette standing beside him.

"Of course. Now come," she began moving towards the mall, and he followed her.

He was so lost at what to do, what to think, what to say… He was just some student who had grades better than most, and had two adorable sisters. He never thought that he'd get tangled up in all of this weird stuff.

He was so praying to God that he wasn't going to die so early. He had so many things to do…

Arriving at the mall, the couple followed the pink-haired girl to the parking space. They were standing at an open space, wondering what was to come—

*Brrr!*

Until one of the parking lots opened up, just like how shelters typically functioned. But instead of some elevator, it proved to be stairs, leading down into some unknown location—in Lux's and Tohka's case, that is.

"…This better not be a trap," he gulped.

"It isn't," she reassured him.

"Well, here we go, I suppose…" And he descended the flight of stairs, holding Tohka's hand, just in case. Inori followed the two of them from behind.

After what seemed to be an hour of doing nothing but going down these steps, which was in actuality a mere three minutes, they arrived at a door. Lux twisted the knob, walking through.

He was in what he considered to be a room filled to the brim with advanced technology. There were computers here and there, with all sorts of things being done. He had thought himself wondering why he was here of all places, until he remembered that his friend brought him here.

"Inori, what is this?" He asked.

"The group that I mentioned before," she answered.

"The… Wait, are you telling me that Egoist is a military organisation?" He asked her.

"Not truly," a new voice permeated into the air, ringing loud and clear. "But we do protect the country and its people."

"That's… good to hear, but…" Getting a closer inspection on the man before him, he couldn't help but feel somewhat familiar of him. "Kannazuki? I didn't know you were working with Inori all this time. And why do you seem so much more… mature?"

"Hmm? Kannazuki? Oh, I get it," this 'Kannazuki' chuckled, not sounding like the usual clown he always was. Rather, his own voice spoke truly like a gentleman. "Forgive me, but it seems that you've mistaken me for my cousin."

In a split of a second, that lasted for what felt like centuries to come, Lux could only stand fixed to his spot, staring up and down at this man that stood before him. The long blond hair was the same, but the eyes, rather than light brown, shone a bright blue. And how he looked so much older made a fairly well contrast.

"Huh?" Was all that the lad managed to blurt out, blinking as he scanned the man before him once again, mind unable to believe what his eyes were seeing. "Wait, you're not Kannazuki?"

"Not at all. He's actually my cousin on my father's side," he answered. "As such, I suppose I should introduce myself, lest you mistake us again. Ahem. I am Gai Tsutsugami. A pleasure to meet you."

"A-Aha…" He was dumbly shaking this man's hand, not knowing what to really say. He's started to think whether he's the protagonist of some cheesy story, but decided not to think hard about it. "S-So… Who are you?"

"Hmm? I seem to recall that I have just introduced myself?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Ahh, sorry. Let me rephrase that…" He paused for a bit. "Who are _all of you_?"

"Ahh, now I understand. We are a group working alongside Ratatoskr. An ally of your sister's group," at the mention of his sister, the boy perked up.

"You know who my sister is?" He asked, somewhat taken aback.

"Of course. Who wouldn't know their own allies?" He chuckled. "And of course, I know who you are, Lux von' Halcyon. I had hoped we'd be able to meet on different circumstances, but it seems that the world has had other plans for us."

"Yeah, no kidding," the boy sighed. "Umm… Tsutsugami?"

"Please, just call me Gai," the blonde insisted.

"Okay… Gai, why did you bring me here? I'm confused," the bluenette scratched the back of his head, displaying a look of the same emotion he aforementioned.

"Well, I am aware of your sister's plan to save all the Spirits, and I very much agree with her," he began. "I brought you here to protect you in her stead. Your other sister, Mana, is out there hunting those vile creatures you encountered as we speak."

"Will Mana be okay? I don't want to bury her at the end of the day…" It sounded casual to some, but the massive traces of fear in his eyes meant much.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's an expert fighter," he reassured the lad, who sighed in relief. "In any case, I ask that you wait here until further notice. Inori, please watch over him and Princess while I'm away."

"Understood," she nodded.

"Wait, where are you going?" He asked.

"I'd like to be excused to the bathroom," he answered, resulting in Lux sweat-dropping.

* * *

Park

*Boom!*

"Was that really necessary..?" Mana gulped, realising that she and Origami dealt more damage than fixing anything.

"There are no civilians in the area, so it should be fine," Origami fired back, kicking one of the creatures into the air before firing at it with a rifle.

"You make it seem as if this is going to happen on a daily basis," the bluenette grunted as she slammed her fist into the creature's lower jaw, before slicing it in half with a plasma sword, watching as it dissipated into black particles. "Jeez… What are these things anyways?"

"The questions," the silver-haired girl paused to deliver a powerful kick to a creature's gut, sending it into the air. "Won't be answered. Let us focus on our task for now."

"Fine," she nodded back.

* * *

Somewhere Else, Beyond the Touches of Space and Time

"A fruit for thought, but, do you suppose we are being quite too nosy?" The man who sat upon the throne asked.

 **"I'd think not, but… Why do you ask?"** The massive dragon breathed a spectre of flames into the air, warming up this slowly-cooling place.

"It seems that we've been involving ourselves in multiple of world, other than the ones we originated from. Is that considered wrong?" He asked once more, sounding quite concerned. The throne of which he sat upon, as if responding to his emotions, cracked a little.

 **"Hmm… A fitting question for only a situation were we to have interfered with the natural course of the world,"** the dragon answered, adjusting his wings so to feel more comfortable. **"Remember, we have done not much to begin with. In Robin's world, he wound up in our world by the will of our writer. He is the one who decides the story."**

"Hmm… I suppose you're right about that," the man allowed himself a short sense of relief, smiling after a while. "In any case, I suppose we should watch what is happening in the world?"

 **"Of course,"** and the wyvern chanted a simple string of words, in a dialect unknown to the human tongue, willing mana into the air before they shaped themselves into a large screen, displaying a gigantic being that was fast approaching the location of which Lux was at. **"Oh dear…"**

"Mmm… This is the point where Young-ae accidentally met him, isn't it?" He received a nod from the great winged beast. "Where he delivers words to awaken the blue blood in this Protagonist?"

 **"Indeed. And I daresay, how will the story go? I am admittedly curious about it,"** the dragon chuckled, allowing his head to lie on the ground, a soft groan escaping him. **"And what do you think? Should we tip our hands to his favour?"**

"I'd say not. Man must achieve what they dream by their own hands, lest they be drowned in the sin of Sloth," the man shook his head, smiling. "Let us stand by the side, and watch."

* * *

Funeral Parlor, this group that Inori was part of. In all honesty, it was such a grand name, that he had mistaken it for some form of wedding company.

Though the funeral part did give him the impression that they dealt with burials and funeral ceremonies.

He hadn't the time to even think about speaking with the others, before the screens blared, displaying red with large white texts, written in Japanese kanji.

"What's going on?" He asked Gai, who just appeared from the bathroom.

"It appears that we have a bigger threat on our hands than we initially thought," he spoke, sounding serious. "Lux, I need you to stay here, no matter what."

"What? What's going on? What's coming?" His endless questions were ignored, but it seemed that even Tohka wanted to know.

"Lux," the boy looked to his Spirit friend. "I'm scared…"

"Don't be. I… I trust Gai, and I trust my sisters. Let's just put our faith in them," he managed to calm her down. "So for now, let's just do as the man says and not do anything crazy."

"O-Okay," she nodded, still sounding uncertain.

"What?" Both turned to a distraught-sounding Gai, and they could clearly tell that whatever he heard was dreadful news, shown by how his face contorted into a look of fear. The way he was biting his lower lip was clear too. "I see… Very well. No, your brother is safe."

He disconnected the call, now staring into Lux's mismatching eyes.

"Kotori called you?" He asked.

"Indeed. She was calling to make sure that you were safe," he informed the younger male, before raising his voice. "Very well. Everyone! We are to aid the Fraxinus in slaying the beast that is coming at us! We must not allow it to get in close vicinity with the city at all cost!"

"Hai!" Everyone yelled back, returning to their jobs, but with more vigour than before.

"Lux, Princess, please remain here. Leave everything to us," was the last thing he said before he left the area, climbing up the stairs.

The boy knew he had no saying in this, but he felt… He knew that he had to do something. Just sitting around and shaking his legs didn't feel right to him. He knew that he's probably tied to all of this, and he has to help end everything.

It was a couple of minutes later, that he noticed a strange signal on the large screens up front.

"Wait… What is that?" He pointed at the blinking dot on the screen, which was slowly approaching the city.

"That," one of the girls, who was wearing some form of cat hairband, spoke with a tone of dread. "Is the creature that Gai spoke of, and the very same thing that is about to wreak this city."

* * *

*Shing!*

"Finally…" Mana let out a huge breath of relief, thankful that she didn't need to do any more fighting. It was tiring enough to deal with wave after wave of these things. "At least they weren't expert fighters."

Seriously though, all they did was rush forwards and swing their axe in mad circles. Obviously they wouldn't be able to land a hit on them.

*Bring..!*

"Hmm?" Mana touched the earpiece in her left ear. "Yeah, Kotori?"

" _We need you to get back to the Fraxinus. A kaiju's fast approaching the city,_ " the redhead's words made her eyes go wide, before they returned to their original size.

"Got it," she nodded, before tapping on the earpiece once more, ending the communication.

"You're not actually part of the AST, are you?" Origami crossed her arms over herself.

"Yup. I'm working for Ratatoskr," she answered without a trace of hesitation. "Besides, what you guys are doing is basically killing Spirits, which is something Nii-sama doesn't like. So yeah. What, planning to tell the others?"

"Hmm… No, not really," the silver-haired girl shook her head. "I'd rather not lose his trust."

"Mmm, okay then. Thanks," the bluenette offered a short smile, before propelling herself into the air. "Don't die now!"

Origami gave a shake of the head.

* * *

"…This is bad," his leg had been shaking this whole time, tapping against the floor nonstop. His chin had been on his hands this whole time as he sat on a chair. "What is going on..?"

He was just some student with favourable grades, living with two sisters. And then, he met Tohka, a Spirit who are the supposed causes of spatial quakes. Add to the fact that he learns that his sisters are part of an organisation tasked with saving these special beings, and that now, there's a freaking _kaiju_ coming at them.

How could life get so weird in such a short time?

Nonetheless, the more he waited, the more he knew something bad was just begging to happen. The more he sat in this room, waiting for the results to come, the higher the chances of it being negative.

"There's no way I could just sit around doing nothing," he muttered to himself, standing up. Tohka eyed him curiously. "Tohka, I'm going out. Do you want to come with, or remain here? I won't force you either way."

"I'm coming with you. I'd feel more safer with you around," she informed him, standing up as well.

"Right, so let's—" Suddenly, he found himself lacking the ability to speak. Trying to do so only resulted in wheezing sounds.

* * *

 _"Boy, can you hear us?"_

 _ **"It's working! We can actually speak to him now!"**_

 _"Aah, perfect! Very well, I'll make this very short! Lux, my boy, you must absolutely make way towards the creature that Gai has instructed you not to approach! Now, do not take me as sending you off to your death this way, but it is absolutely necessary!"_

 _ **"Indeed! You must awaken the true you! He who ruled—Oh no, the connection's cutting!"**_

 _"What?! No! Not yet, we—"_

* * *

"Hyaha..?" He finally managed to speak, realising that the voices he's heard resulted in no migraine as earlier. "Wha, huh..?"

Strange. Whoever those two beings were, they were clearly telling him to encounter this kaiju. But what for? Unless…

'Awaken the _true me_..?' That phrase had basically enticed him to make this choice, and he knew better.

He had to go. This was his cue to leave. To see what was going to happen. To take matters into his hands. _He had to go_.

"Tohka," the girl looked to him. "Come on. We've got ourselves a kaiju to see."

* * *

The Fraxinus, ever in the air as usual, was hovering directly above the Kantō region, overlooking the beast that was fast approaching the city. In just a few more kilometers, possibly a thousand more, and it would soon make its presence known to the public.

As such, Ratatoskr initiated a spatial quake warning, just to get the masses to cover. In truth, they were about to face something that could possibly be something much, much worse.

"Alright everyone, we're about to launch a rapid fire attack on the kaiju. Hey, get me a target on that thing!" The redhead yelled. In response to her command, the screens up front shifted to an image of a massive creature, swimming through the massive stretch of sea like it's paper. "Alright, aim the turrets on the Fraxinus at that thing. Do not let it get to the island!"

"You heard the commander! Do not let the kaiju reach the island, at all costs!" Kannazuki yelled, earning a multitude of responses from the crew.

The titan-sized creature was far too large to be captured, with a body that could be described as that of a serpent's. With sturdy tusks protruding from either sides of its head, they were enough to break towers, barriers and any other hard objects. The creature swam through the sea, its body a dirty brown.

"Wasn't that creature an inhabitant of a desert before?" Kotori asked, recognising the creature by its tusks.

"Indeed. Although, it seems to currently be in a sort of rampage, and is currently going for the island," the blonde spoke with a tone of worry. "We're still not sure what triggered it in the first place. Why it targeted the island too is another mystery we're still unable to uncover."

"Well… No matter. Let's just get rid of it," she sighed, before standing up. "Everyone! Let's take it down!"

Arriving at the park of which they were last attacked at, Lux and Tohka could see how there was indeed a massive body in the water, moving towards them at a fast rate.

* * *

The boy felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets, shock washing over him as he laid his gaze upon this massive creation.

"D-Damn… That thing is huge…" He gasped, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Tohka, I've seen what you were capable of in a fight. Do you think you can take that thing on with you Angel?"

"What? No! Unlike the 'Mecha-Mecha Squad' that I've been fighting against this whole time, this is way too much!" Her face paled at such a thought, unable to bear it.

She was unbelievably powerful, no doubt. How many had failed in capturing her only fortified that fact. However, she knew this was only because she was in a battle with men, beings who possess infinite knowledge, but lack in power itself.

In comparison to such a being she sees before her, this was an immediate death wish. There was no way she could even think of facing against that thing.

It was, to put it simply, a battle of an ant against a god.

"Damn it… Kotori, what are you planning..?" He muttered to himself, wondering what she had up her sleeve.

And yet, the answer came much too quickly.

He could feel how energy seemed to pick up in the air, flowing like threads of energy. He could sense it, not see them, but he knew they were there. Looking up, he could barely see the translucent outlining of the otherwise invisible aircraft, hovering high above the island as it charged what seemed to be a turret.

'Wait, is she planning to fire at that thing with that?' He gulped, wondering if it could truly worked.

On one end, it could, which was something he was truly hoping for to happen. It would save everyone the trouble of hunting that thing. On the other, if it _failed_ …

Then they could only pray to God.

"Uh-oh…" He saw the brief flash from the turret, displaying a short circle of green. "Tohka! Get down!"

Tackling her to the ground, he was just in the nick of time before the orb that materialised at the mouth of the turret shot forth, pulsating in bright green and white and taking the shape of a straight line, travelling towards the creature.

And the great fire of plasma burst against it!

*Boom!*

Such force behind the attack was enough to send a ripple throughout the ocean, causing an irreplaceable amount of damage to the seabed. The waves that formed travelled miles, crashing into the island and it's shores.

Luckily, Ratatoskr had initiated the defensive systems, erecting barriers around the city to protect it from the waves. Thankfully, it was enough to stop everything.

The creature, however…

*RHGGHAAAA!*

"N-No way…" Lux could feel as if the end of the world was near.

The beast, though attacked by such a powerful beam head-on, still continued to live. Masses of its flesh was vaporized, leaving bright red insides to be displayed clearly now. And yet, the thing was still alive. Breathing, living, and still swimming towards the island.

"I-It didn't die?" Tohka gulped, sharing an equal amount of fear with her friend.

"Onii-chan!" The boy, snapped out of his stupor, snapped his head around, only to be confronted by a distraught-looking Kotori and Mana, both of whom were in their general's garments and armour respectively. "What are you doing here?!"

"How'd you know I was here?" He asked. He was sure they were up in the Fraxinus.

"We saw your signal down below, and came here to pick you up," Mana informed, before her frown turned ever more sour. "But that aside, why did you come here? Kanna— _Gai_ specifically told you to stay put in their headquarters!"

"There was no way I could just sit and watch. It didn't feel right to me," he frowned back. "I know there's nothing I can really do right now, but—"

"Listen, we need to get you out of here! It's definitely not safe for you to be out here in the open!" The redhead huffed, before perking up at the sight of a hooded character moving towards them. "Lux, behind you!"

"Huh?" Turning around, he was met with the point-blank edge of a knife. He sidestepped the attack, leaping backwards. "What the..?"

The figure that appeared from out of nowhere was wearing black robes, with the hood obscuring his face. In his hand was a short blade of iron.

"I have trespassed into this world to rid it of its 'Protagonist'," he spoke in a cryptic manner, flicking the knife in his hands between his fingers, before finally pointing it at the lad, who adopted a battle-ready stance. "And you are my target. Stand down now, and I shall give you a quick and painless death."

"You really think I'm going to keel over and accept death? I'll only accept it when I say I will," the lad spat.

"Very well. Do not say that I didn't warn you," and in a blink of an eye, the being rushed forth, thrusting his dagger forwards.

*Fwoo!*

"Kuh..!" Barely dodging the blade, he threw his fist at the mysterious man's face, a satisfying smack resounding throughout the area.

The attack was supposed to be strong, considering that he was facing against an opponent who was out for his head. And yet, he was taken aback at how he managed to resist the attack, cracking his neck as his face remained hidden.

Mentally cursing, the lad raised his fists once more, bared teeth to accompany it all.

The man lunged himself at the boy once again, stabbing air. This time, however, he was fully prepared, flicking the knife around him before slicing at the boy's face, leaving a small cut on his cheek.

The blood that leaked out was not much, but it was still blood nonetheless.

"Nii-sama!" Mana, clicking her tongue once, jetted towards the mysterious figure, ready to pound him into the ground.

*Bam!*

"What the..?!" The girl's eyes grew wide, jaws unhinged as she realised that her fist was not colliding with the figure from before, but rather a jet black dragon with massive wings, of which were being used to block her fist. Returned to reality, Mana jumped back, avoiding the flames from the beast. "Where did you come from?!"

"Mana! Stay back!" The brother shouted from the other side.

"I should be saying that to you! _You're_ the one that can't fight!" She retorted, blocking the tail slam with the side of her arm, before launching missiles from the back of her armour. They scattered into the air, before finally destructing in contact with the wyvern.

And yet, it was much to her chagrin when she saw how it blocked the missiles with its wings, leaving no damage on it whatsoever.

On Lux's end, it was seemingly bad than he would have thought it to be.

This mysterious person was far better of a fighter than he was. He handled the dagger far too easily, leaving scars everywhere on his face. Three cuts now, he noted, and that meant something. Against brutes from earlier, he was hands down the winner. But against such an experienced assassin such as he, added with the fact that he doesn't have a weapon on hand, Lux didn't have much options.

"You're not bad," he snickered, failing a roundhouse kick to the side. He tsk-ed, backflipping to dodge the knife from piercing his eye.

Knowing that being on the defensive wouldn't keep him alive for long, he took to a more offensive stance. He rushed after the man, feigning a blow. When his opponent tried to block him, he immediately went in for the leg, giving a firm to the side of the kneecap, ultimately downing him onto one leg.

With a fist clenched and ready to strike, he aimed his attack straight for his face—

"Ghagh!" Until the sound of his sister's cry reached his ears. Snapping his head to her position, he could very well see that the dragon she had been fending off had laid gashes across her body, blood spewing out like fountains.

His heart stopped for a moment.

With him frozen to his spot, the figure managed to distance himself from the lad.

"M-Mana..!" He breathed out, running towards his sister.

But he was going to be too late.

"…aiqtalahum," the mysterious figure spoke.

Any normal person would have taken minutes, hours even to just imagine what he said. But they boy, for some strange reason he himself knew not of, recognised his words as Arabic.

And the basic of translations for his words, was that he commanded the dragon to 'kill them'.

"No!" Outstretching his arm as he ran towards his sisters and friend, he could watch as their faces contorted into looks of fear.

The looks on their faces… It was one that displayed defeat. It was one that he could feel a strong sense of déjà vu from. As if he's seen this before. And he knew it. Those were the looks of those who kept holding onto the thought that the end was coming, and there was nothing that they could do.

They had lost.

'No..!' He shouted from the deepest pit in his heart, not willing to accept such sick twist of fate. 'If they can't stop it… I can!'

He was expendable, he believed himself to be. If anything, his sisters and his friend were the key to victory here. He was just a mere student who had no power or skill whatsoever. And yet, if this was the moment for him to truly make a difference…

He was willing to give his life to save theirs.

Mind now cleared of any dark convictions, and heart steeled for what was to transpire, he moved in front of the three girls, outstretching his arms to his sides.

The dragon charged black-red fire in its throat, before finally snapping its head towards the boy, letting loose a torrent of fire.

Closing in on him…

"Onii-chan!" This was it?

"Nii-sama, no!" He was going to die so early?

"LUX!" Ah well. Maybe this was his destiny after all?

The flames touched him, and the heat was enough to render him unconscious.

* * *

Somewhere Else

"…Where… Huh?" Slowly waking up, the boy found himself in an endless sea of black. Even so, he noticed himself capable of seeing, and he supposed this was not either Heaven or Hell, but maybe the in-between?

Feeling himself so exhausted, he willed himself to move forwards.

*Chink! Chink!*

He almost lost his balance, but he found himself tugged backwards once again.

Blinking, scared as to what was binding him here, he looked to where there was the sensation of cold steel against wrapped around his wrists.

Shackles, locked around his wrists and attached to chains that seemed to spiral up into the endless above. There was nothing there at all.

Looking at what was in front of him, he could now perceive the object of which that rested inside a glass container.

'What is that..?' He asked himself that. What was that strange, glowing cylinder in the box? Why did he feel so… attracted to it?

But it mattered not. He was going to die here. In fact, wasn't he already dead? The moment he stepped in front of his sisters to stop them from dying pointless deaths was enough to mean something.

Chuckling a rueful tune to himself, he finally slumped, giving up on any hope for his survival and, of what he wanted so much, his reunion with his loved ones.

*Tk… Tk… Tk.*

Footsteps rung in this supposed vacuum of a dimension. The boy, having lost all colour and will in his eyes alone, barely looked behind him to see a handsome lad with black hair and a few streaks of white running down from the centre of his head.

'Who is he..?' He would have pondered on the question, but he gave up on it the moment he asked himself that.

He ignored the stranger, who walked to the container, taking out the cylinder and eyeing it in a questioning manner.

* * *

 _"Boy, you must speak to the other 'Protagonist' before you if you wish for salvation! If you wish to be met with your sisters once more!"_

 _ **"Indeed! Giving up is, and I dare say it out loud, a trait you have never taken into consideration! Speak with him!"**_

 _"But you are not alone in this. Speak my words…"_

* * *

Lux could barely hear what these beings were whispering in his head, but he supposed that he could entertain them for a while, if it would keep them shut.

"Void Genome…" Subconsciously, his eyes widened in horror. He had just talked! And to some stranger, no less!

"What is it?" He could hear the other boy ask, sounding stern. "And look at me."

"U-Uurgh…" The student groaned, staring up.

The boy before him saw black eyes, just like his. However, it was because he lost the spirit to fight that his blue orb was cursed with an indefinite hatred, burnt by the flame of sloth that it turned dull.

"Tell me, what is this?" The black-haired boy asked, gently giving the cylinder a few shakes.

Lux didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen such an object in his life before. And yet, the whispers he was gaining in his head seemed to help him.

"I-It's the Void Genome…" He forced himself to speak, noticing how his throat sounded dry. "An object that bestows an ability to a selected person."

The thought interested the student. If such a thing truly exists, which it is currently doing in front of him, then it could potentially be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.

Cliché, he thought, but true nonetheless.

"I see…" The lad who stood nodded his head, before looking at the shackled boy once more. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I don't know…" Lux's head bobbed left and right. "I, died, I think."

Just admitting it felt so troublesome, so terrifying. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a weight lift off of his shoulders. Maybe the people were right? That death was far more relaxing than to suffer?

"Died, you say? That sucks…" The boy frowned, something Lux didn't miss. "But this isn't Limbo, so what are you doing here?"

"I really don't know…" Lux's teeth gritted, feeling anguish wash over him. Slowly, emotion began to settle in once more. "I remembered… My friend, my sisters… They were in trouble. I didn't have a choice, I..!"

"You did what any good friend and brother would do," the lad sighed.

In fact, he knew not what had happened with this kid—he may just refer to him as such, but he knew that they were in the same age. And for some strange reason, he felt a connection with the boy. Why? Because he's a prisoner as well? Just as he was? He couldn't bear to see him like this.

On Lux's part, he couldn't help but feel safe in the presence of this stranger. It was as if he knew him, like this was him, yet someone completely different. The blue grew stronger in his eye once again.

"Don't give up," the boy suddenly spoke, earning Lux's attention.

"W-What? What do you mean?" He gave up a long time ago, the moment he stepped foot into this strange world. But what was about this stranger's words that was compelling him to return to the battle?

"You may have lost in that fight of yours, but I'm not going to watch you mope about losing and whatnot," the stranger added a sigh at the end of his sentence, shaking his head left and right. "Any good soldier would steel themselves and return to the battlefield, and I know you're better than this."

"Well… what good can I do..?" Lux felt himself incompetent in comparison to the people around him.

Kotori was a freakin' commander of a ship, meaning that she must have had a lot of experiences in dealing with these sort of things. Mana was already a skilled fighter, even more skilful than he could ever dream of being. Tohka was naturally powerful, and made for a better swords-woman than he could ever see him become.

Inori was good even without a weapon, Origami was a strong soldier, and everyone else were normal. He… What could he really do? Against a living god, he was nothing. He had lost to a simple dagger-wielding stranger too.

But the other boy's actions lit a flame in his heart.

"This," he held up the cylinder, holding it up in a vertical manner. Lux couldn't hold back the gasp from being released.

"B-But, you found it…" He muttered. This was way too good to be true. Why was he being given such a power, when he couldn't even protect his sisters the proper way?

"So? Doesn't mean it's mine. It was obviously yours from the very beginning, just out of reach," the stranger kneeled to one leg, gently closing the boy's hand around the cylinder. "Wield it. I don't know what it'll do, but trust in its power. Use it to protect those you love."

*Khh!*

The shackles around his wrist began to glow a bright white, so too did his body, as flickering lights filled the air, giving the otherwise black space a bit of colour.

And as the void burst with life, so too could Lux feel himself… change.

Who was he now? Who would he become? He didn't care.

"I'm Young-ae Cross," the person smiled, his body beginning to fade. "What about you?"

"I-I…" Determined to finish the game, he shouted. "Lux von' Halcyon!"

* * *

Park

"…It seems that we've successfully eliminated the 'Protagonist'," the cloaked man muttered to himself, watching with boredom as two little girls cry over the dead body of their once-was brother, while the other was staring at the corpse with wide, purple, shaking eyes, making no movement whatsoever. "Well, I suppose our mission here is—"

*Khh..!*

"Hmm..?!" He was ready to summon a portal and leave the area, until he witnessed the corpse beginning to illuminate, blinding him and the others who looked at him, before the luminescence died down.

...

"Hyahh!" The boy suddenly screamed as he rose from his lying position, clutching his stomach. "Ow!"

"O-O-Onii-chan..!" Kotori, for once, found herself thankful to the Lord above, tackling her brother with a powerful hug.

"Nii-sama, you're okay..!" Mana too joined the hugging activity, sobbing fresh tears into her brother's shirt.

"H-Hey! Tears off the merchandise!" He jested, immediately scowling when he saw the hooded figure. "You're still here…"

"And you're still alive," the figure sighed, the dragon from earlier standing beside him. "No matter. We had removed you once. Now we shall get rid of you once more."

"No! We won't let you!" The redhead, eyes bloodshot and puffy, glared back at her brother's murderer.

And yet, she found herself losing grip over her brother, whom she was earlier holding in place.

"O-Onii-chan..?" She couldn't help but notice how he seemed less afraid now, staring at the figure without so much a twitch of a finger.

"…Tohka," he turned heels, staring at the girl. "Are you alright?"

"H-Huh? Oh…" She rubbed off the water from her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I'm glad then…" He sighed with a thankful smile, before looking serious. "Tohka, I have a request for you, and I believe that you are the only one of which I can ask this from."

"Hmm? What is it?" She asked back, but noticed the way he was increasingly gaining closer to her.

"Tohka," he stopped just a few inches away from her. "I want to kiss you."

"Pffft!" Kotori did a spit take, eyes wide with shock that was parallel to his sister's.

The hell did he gain the courage to ask a girl to kiss him?!

"Kiss?" The Spirit repeated the word in questioning. "What is a kiss?"

"It is an action to convey one's love towards the other," he explained briefly. "I love you Tohka, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to do so towards me as well."

"H-Huh?" The Spirit finally blushed a bright red, seemingly growing frantic. "W-W-Wha?! Of course I—I mean..!"

"You don't need to rush yourself, but I need to kiss you/ Right here, right now," he spoke once again, missing how his sisters were basically gawking at him.

"O-Okay… And how do we do that?" She asked, the burning colour on her face still present.

"We place our lips on one another," he informed her, moving towards her. He took her face with his left, gripping her waist with his right.

And with a soft pull towards him—

"Mmff..!" He captured her plush velvet with his own lips, a slow kiss that displayed every love he felt for her in that single instant.

And in that single instant, her world and heart stopped, and her mind could only think about just him. How her eyes only saw him, and how her lips yearned for more of his own.

*Khh!*

Light pulsated from the Spirit, before her clothes began to dissipate, soon revealing her untainted snow-like skin to the world.

Only when the boy broke the kiss from her, this girl, did he finally wrap his white jacket around her.

"Thank you, for putting your faith in me," he smiled at the blushing girl, looking at his sisters next. "And thank you for waiting for me. Now, it's my turn to play."

"Hmph. You're incapable of doing anything, yet you wave your ego like it's a magic wand," the hooded figure spat. "You may have survived Sūtaḫ's attack earlier, and you've managed to hold your own against me, but you truly think you can win? Don't make me laugh."

"Indeed. I doubt that you would believe me capable of winning against you, considering that I just died at your hands," the memory no longer brought him cold feet. It seems that he's come to accept it, apparently. "But I must do what is right, both as a brother, and as your opponent."

He brushed his hand through his hair, smiling.

"I am ready to defeat you, no matter what it takes," he sighed.

And with his words said, heart screaming for him to fight, his hair turned.

 ***Persona 4—Reach Out to the Truth (Play Song)***

"Hmm?" The hooded figure noticed the way the lad's black hair now shifted into purple crystals, spiking down to his chin. "What is this?"

"I've come to accept that I have to do this, even if it means shedding my old life," the boy pulled out a cylinder from his pocket, before quickly injecting himself in the wrist, feeling a surge of power.

The threads of silver light that emanated from him were enough to set off everyone's alarms, wondering why this was happening. Even then, he didn't need to explain himself.

Outstretching his hand in front of him, before finally digging his hand deep into himself, light dancing around him as he pulled out a gun.

In one quick motion, he aimed the gun at himself—

*Bang!*

The bullet pierced his head, but the way his blue eye shone brighter, burning like a demon's flame, it was enough to tell that he wasn't dead.

In fact, it was from that simple action that a large blade formed in his left hand, heavy and powerful. The blade itself took everyone, mostly Tohka, by surprise.

"T-That's [Sandalphon]!" The Spirit pointed out, surprised that he was able of summoning her weapon.

"Indeed it is. I'll be borrowing it for a while, if you don't mind," he dropped the gun, allowing it to turn into light particles and retreat into his heart. He aimed the sword straight at the monster and its tamer. "Let's go."

Without a word, the jet-black dragon flew towards him, maws wide and open and ready to tear limb from its target. Understanding its attack pattern, he leapt to the side, before rushing the dragon, dealing a cross slash. Blocking a tail slam, he quickly retaliated with another sword swing, effectively ridding it of its tail.

*RrHgaaA!*

"With pleasure," he knew not what it meant, but ignored it nonetheless.

The wyvern charged fire, spewing it everywhere around it. Lux, holding his sword to the side of his hip in a 'Sha no Kamae' stance, drew it in one quick motion, letting loose an arc-shaped compression of energy that travelled towards the dragon, killing it in one hit.

Turning his attention to the figure next, he left him no room to devise a tactic, instantly going in to deal the blow.

Lux charged up the sword, sensing the spike of energy in the blade. Letting loose a battle cry, he slashed the sword in front of him, watching it form an arc of energy that stretched wide and forwards, cutting into the hooded person's torso. The energy rendered his body apart, leaving him slammed into a wall, before he slumped forwards, standing on shaky legs.

"Ughh…" He made not much of a response, grunting as a hissing sound made its way in his head. The blood seeped out of his wound, seemingly endless. He chuckled a moment later. "Funny… You managed to best me..?"

"Humans were never pathetic. You never gave them the chance to shine," the lad chided, raising [Sandalphon] towards the figure. "Do you have any last words to speak? This is your last chance, after all."

"Really..? I see…" The being chuckled, holding himself in the chest. He stood on shaky legs, a weak grin on his face. "Show them what you are capable of… princeling…"

"If that is all," and the boy dug his blade deep into the man's body, before slicing upwards, halving it. The body dropped to the ground, blood fountaining without restraint.

Staring at the body for a while, he sighed, before staring at the massive kaiju that was swimming towards them. He had almost forgotten that it was still there.

Willing energy into [Sandalphon], causing bright streaks of light to permeate around the sword, he aimed it directly at the massive entity, blue eye displaying its mark proudly.

"Time to put you to sleep," he muttered. And, to his mental command—

*PIUUUU!*

A powerful ray of energy shot forth from the sword, travelling forwards as it exerted pressure on its surroundings. The sky weeped under its presence, the clouds parting to make way for it, and the sky turning a bloody crimson, as if it were being killed by the beam itself.

*Boom!*

No roar resounded from the creature, as the sound of powerful waves that shook the world due to the pressure exerted from the attack making contact with the creature. Added with how the waters rose to painstakingly dangerous heights had acted as curtains for the creature, blocking sight of it.

And when the waters finally dropped to join their brethren in the sea, all that was left of the creature was its body, head missing. Now replaced with a bloody hole, insides out for display, it dropped into the sea, not surfacing for any time to come.

"Well, that's that," he allowed a smile to be put up, before he lost all energy.

The last thing he felt, was the hard ground against his head.

 ***Persona 4—Reach Out to the Truth (End Song)***


	5. Chapter 4

"Did we not, though?" - Speech

'We met before…' - Thoughts

"You don't know him." - Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!* - Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 4: Wintry Days [}

*Beep..! Beep..! Beep..!*

Slowly fluttering his eyes open, Lux had to keep them closed so to allow his pupils to properly resize themselves. It was after some time was he finally able to see the room he was in.

The room was pure white, with machines hooked up to him. Looking down on himself, there was blue-knitted blanket wrapping him, possibly to keep him warm. The room itself was chilled by air-conditioning, cold to the brim.

He rested for a solid three minutes more, before he finally managed to prop himself up with his elbows. The oxygen mask on his face was returned to its holder, right beside its storage tank.

He breathed in a bit, before finally getting himself able to step off from the bed. However…

*Bang!*

"Nii-sama!" The lad slightly jumped when the door to the room was slammed wide open, presenting a familiar person with blue hair and brown eyes. "What are you doing?!"

"A-Ahh… It's uhh… Not what it looks like!" He raised his arm in defence, but the coughing fit that came afterwards immediately forced himself to sit on the bed. Concerned, his sister joined him, sitting beside him. "Ahh… Sorry about that…"

"Did you just try to leave the room?" She asked in a suspicious fashion.

"What? No, that's crazy…" He sweat-dropped with a smile that spoke 'I'm screwed'. "I was just about to come looking for you… But it seems that you've beaten me."

All sense of tension after being discovered of his effort of leaving the room jumped out of the window. He relaxed, thankful that he didn't need to leave yet. He still felt weak.

"Nii-sama," she frowned. "Please don't try to leave on your own. You're still injured, you know…"

"Really? I guess I can understand what you mean," he scratched the back of his head with a matter-of-factly look, until he stopped, mind slightly foggy. "Hold up… What actually happened?"

"Wait, you don't remember?" She blinked, slightly taken aback.

"I'm not sure… I did remember feeling something like a bullet through my head," he rubbed the part that felt sore. "It felt like it was a dream, yet I can't help but feel as if it _really_ happened…"

"That's because everything _did_!" She cried out, earning a curious look from her brother. "Nii-sama… You just saved Japan!"

* * *

A Week Later

After a long period of time rehabilitating in the Fraxinus's medical rooms, he was finally given the clear to be discharged. Even then, he knew that they wouldn't keep their monitoring over him any lesser. It would be off-putting, but he supposed that he'd need to get used to it.

Arriving at his house after taking a cab, there were several things that he didn't understand.

For one, he noticed that Tohka was in their house. Why, he knew not the answer. Then again, since she was just born into this world, she technically doesn't have a home.

The second and final question he had on his mind was why the blond cousins, Inori and Reine were there. Origami was present as well, wearing a look of concern for once.

"Okay, what's going on here?" He rested his hand on his hip.

His question was met with a bombardment of answers, all of which he'd need repeated just so he could actually understand it properly.

At the end of such a tiring 'lecture', he understood a few things.

For one, he had developed the 'Power of the King', something he gained after he injected himself with the 'Void Genome'. They stated that they had no idea of where he even got his hands on it, and he knew not either. For some reason, the only thing he could remember was black hair.

Second was how he managed to wield Tohka's 'Angel', by shooting himself in the head with his own 'Void', the object of which he pulled out of his body after acquiring the 'Power of the King'. It was the method that intrigued him and everyone else quite a much, described by Gai as something that 'was thought of to be impossible'. The most possible way to actually extract her 'Angel' was to actually pull it out of her, not shooting himself in the head after thinking of it.

The third was how he had just _saved Japan_. At first, he had taken it to be Mana's poor attempt at giving him a laugh, but the detailed explanation, backed up with multiple evidences such as satellite pictures and videos, had him buying it. There was no way he could deny everything after he's seen recordings of him wielding her [Sandalphon].

The last part, that he kissed Tohka, had him blushing to no ends, and he was well ready to keel himself before her just to beg for her forgiveness, but his fluttering shame only spiked when she said that she enjoyed it.

He had wondered why he had forgotten what could be considered as important. But their help in jogging his memories soon helped him to remember, until he came to the conclusion that he must have forgotten due to overexerting himself.

It made sense. While the medical team were busy healing him and getting his system to its proper condition once more, Reine had noticed how his brain activities were quite laggy in comparison to his other bodily functions. She had wondered if he was in a coma, but they were thankful that it wasn't the case.

"So… What now?" He finally asked the question that everyone knew he was going to bring up. "I'm a student with some destructive power in me, with the ability to summon weapons that Spirits possess. Should I be quarantined or something?"

"I doubt such a measure is necessary," Gai shook his head.

"Indeed. As long as you have proper control over your power, we believe that you should be left as is," Kannazuki chimed in.

"You sure? I _might_ cause some serious damage to the area, you know. I'm a potential threat," he frowned at his own words, but knew that harsh reality must be met with a steeled heart.

"You're not!" Kotori quickly retorted, backed up with a nod from Inori.

"Lux, you used your power to save humanity. You're not a threat," she spoke with a blank tone, slightly calming the boy down.

"Okay… But seriously, if I'm not getting locked up or anything, then what am I going to do?" He scratched the back of his head.

"We'll be having you return to school as usual," Gai placed in his response, a look of surprise in response. "Indeed. And also, we'll have Inori and Tohka join your class, so I hope that you'll take care of them."

"Why does it sound like an invitation for trouble..?" He gulped to himself.

* * *

Time flew, no doubt. It was only a matter of _what was to come_.

Returning to school, he felt worried for once. Not because he hadn't the chance to complete the school work that's probably been piled up on his plate. No. It was rather the fear of what possible rumours could have circulated in his absence.

But somehow, he didn't know whom to thank when he learnt that no one had spoken anything. So for now, he wouldn't be referred to as some disgusting pervert or anything similar.

Now, he was back in his class, sitting at his usual spot. However…

"Can we _not_ sit in a row..?" His left eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

See, ever since he's been getting ready for school, it felt as if he had been dropped dead smack into the center of attention. Well, not _everyone's_ attention.

Origami, a member of AST who's well-renowned for being extremely smart in her studies. Tohka, a girl who recently transferred into Lux's class alongside Inori who drew eyes from every boy around her, and was ever the excitable girl she is. And Inori, a member of Funeral Parlour who may not show as much of an expression now and then, but she did prove to be more 'normal' than Origami.

He was hoping to call himself having to have grown close to these three girls. With Tohka especially, since he had basically taken her first kiss, and given her his. With everyone else, he considered himself to be on a neutral stance with them.

And yet, right after free period rolled around, Origami and Inori had conjoined their tables to his, forming a straight line.

"Then how are we to eat with you?" The silver-haired girl asked, the lad scratching the area behind his head with a confused look.

"I don't know… How about a two times two square, perhaps?" His suggestion was immediately carried out. And as such, he would be sitting with Tohka, with Origami and Inori on the other side. "Okay then, let's eat."

"Okay!" The Spirit happily chirped, pulling out a bento box from her bag.

With everyone's boxes placed in front of them on their tables, they opened each set.

Lux had made himself a rice dish with curry and string beans, stir fried to perfection. The Spirit had her dish to be a scrumptious-looking salmon fillet, with fries to go with the side.

Curious, the boy looked to the boxes in front of him, and was well surprised.

Inori seemed to have what seemed to be a risotto, creamy and rich. The smell from it was enough to tell him that whoever made it—because he was damn sure that the girl couldn't cook—was an expert chef.

Origami, on the other hand, seemed to have gotten herself a simple lunch box with rice, and three sushi rolls. Whilst simple, it should be good. The fresh colours in the sushi was enough to tell him that.

"Well then girls, let's dig in," he told the three girls, all of whom nodded back.

And as such, they spent their time in each other's company, engaging each other in a conversation or two as they ate. Truth be told, this was far better than what he had in mind. He would have thought they were going to claw at each other's throats.

Tohka was just protective, Origami hated Spirits, and Inori…

"This is good," she made a remark as she continued to eat her dish.

…Yeah, maybe she was just a spectator.

*Kring!*

"Oh, hang on," he stepped away from the table, pulling out his phone. Tapping on the screen, he placed it in his ear. "Hello?"

" _Nii-sama, are you at school right now?_ " Mana's voice came from the other side of the line.

"Yeah. I'm currently having lunch with the others right now," he told her, glancing past his shoulder, only to sweat-drop when he noticed the three girls taking some from his box. 'Heeey…'

" _Oh, really? Well, that's good,_ " she sighed in what seemed to be relief. This elicited a curious look from him.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" He asked. "A Spirit maybe?"

" _…Man, when are you going to stop being so deceptive..?_ " Her laughter was traced with mild embarrassment. " _But yeah. Apparently, there were signs of another Spirit in town. We still don't have a full register on her, but we're looking into her as we speak._ "

"I see…" His face stretched into a worried look.

Truth be told, he had thought Tohka to be the only Spirit there was, until he thought back to the reason why Ratatoskr existed. And from there, he realised that there must have been much more to save, if a whole organisation had to be made.

If this was just about saving just one Spirit, then a whole organisation was pretty pointless. It made sense for there to be more than just one Spirit then.

"Mana, my ability to seal spirits… I am capable of sealing multiple Spirits at a time, right?" He asked in a curious tone.

" _Mmhm. As long as you maximise your relationship level with her and kiss her right after, you'll be able to seal that Spirit,_ " she answered.

"Okay… Well, I'm still on free period, but I think I…" His words died in his throat the moment he noticed that his box was empty, and the three girls were pointedly adverting their gaze from his eyes. "…I think I'll call you back. Sound good?"

" _Yeah, okay. Have fun eating, Nii-sama!_ "She grinned as she hung up the call.

Yes. Have fun eating indeed.

Sighing, he sat back in his chair, looking at his box. All that was left were slivers of sauce at the bottom.

Staring into it with a blank expression, it soon turned to that of amusement, much to the others' confusion.

"Maybe I should make some extra for you girls if you wanted some," he chuckled, closing the container. "Seriously though, now I've got nothing to eat. Who's going to take care of that?"

"S-Sorry…" All three girls dipped their heads low, a look of embarrassment on their features.

"Nah it's cool," he waved them off. "The canteen's still open, right? Anyone wanna' accompany me?"

All three of them stood.

"Well, I suppose three is better than one…" He scratched the side of his face, unsure of what to say.

*Bring! Bring!*

"Huh?" The alarms for spatial quakes went off, blaring loudly as ever. His classmates had all but stood up from their seats, looking frantically over themselves and checking whether they had left any valuables behind.

"Another Spirit..?" Lux asked himself, looking serious. "Darn it…"

Clicking on the earpiece in his ear—he decided to just leave it there, in case things like this would happen when he least expected it—he spoke.

"Kotori, what's the status?" He asked.

" _We don't have an accurate check on the Spirit, but everyone's gathering the data as we speak,_ " she answered. " _Find someplace secret and teleport to the Fraxinus, ASAP._ "

"You got it," he gave a nod before cutting off the communication. He looked to his friends, frowning when his gaze landed on Origami. "You've gotta' do what you've gotta' do, huh?"

"Indeed. Please take no offence from this," she gave a short bow, before leaving the classroom.

"None taken..." He muttered softly in response, the silverette missing it.

"What now, Lux?" Inori asked after some time, where the classroom now consisted of them and a handful of student who stayed back to find some things.

"Kotori called us to the Fraxinus. Come on," and the three, humans and Spirit, allowed themselves to be warped away, after gathering in the males' bathroom.

* * *

Aboard the Fraxinus

*Chh~!*

"Whoa…" He blinked away the light in his eyes, scrubbing them right after. "Man… I doubt I'll get used to that…"

"Lux, get over here," his sister called out to him, of which he jogged up the stairs. His friends stood by his sides. "The Spirit we'll be facing is that one."

She pointed at the large screens. In it, there was a little girl with blue hair and some sort of green jacket with bunny ears at the hood being assaulted from all sides by the AST. Even so, she made no attempts at retaliating, merely escaping them at high speeds.

Taking a closer look, he noticed how she too had a sort of barrier around her, keeping the missiles that were aimed at her merely knocked back.

"So, they're attacking her as well?" He gulped.

"Indeed. Codenamed: Hermit," the redhead said briefly.

"Just like the Arcanum. They hide away from the public eye, and mostly act in more supportive roles," he narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch the battle. "She's not even fighting them… Yet they don't care, do they?"

"You're right. They don't," she nodded her head, a grim expression on her features. "Lux, you plan to save her, don't you?"

"As other Spirits that exist on this planet," he answered. "There is no way I can just watch by the sidelines and watch them get obliterated. Come on, send me down there."

"Not yet, brother. As of things right now, it'll only hinder your progress with her. Plus, it's far too dangerous to send you into the middle of a battlefield. You'd get obliterated," Kotori shook her head, but the fearful tone in her voice was not missed. "You'd need to get close to her in a space where the AST can't reach you."

"Hmm…" Pondering on the thought, his mind immediately went back to the time he spoke to Tohka at his school. "Are there any buildings in the vicinity? Like, the really spacious ones."

"Well, yeah, there is. There's a shopping mall in the area, why?" She asked, curious.

"Just like how I spoke to Tohka in the school, if I can get close to Hermit in an enclosed space, we should be fine," Lux crossed his arms.

"That is indeed a smart idea…" Kannazuki popped out of nowhere, sharing a look of understanding with the boy. "Though, how do you intend to lure her there? The AST won't make it easy for you to reach her."

"Ahh… Shoot," he clicked his tongue in chagrin. "Hmm… No matter. We'll just have to go with the flow. Take me down there."

"Are you sure? It's dangerous," the blonde spoke with an unnatural amount of seriousness.

"I'm sure. This is a better chance than nothing," he nodded. "But before that…" He looked to Tohka. "I'd like to have a serious discussion with Tohka first."

"Hmm? Me?" The Spirit repeated, earning a nod from the boy.

"What about, though? It better not take long," Kotori huffed. "Hermit won't stay in the area for long. Whatever you have to talk about, it better be quick."

"I doubt it'll be quick. It's a very heavy topic, and one I don't intend keeping in the box forever," he shot back, earning a surprised look from his sister. "Tohka, if you'd please."

"R-Right," she nodded, following after him.

"I wonder what all that was about," Kannazuki hummed in curiosity.

* * *

*Creak…* *Click!*

Getting into one of the medical rooms, complete with a bed, a stretcher and other things stored away in a store connected to this room, a med kit in one of the shelves in the kitchen area, Lux told Tohka to take a seat at the bed, whereas he took a chair for himself.

They sat facing each other, bearing different looks; Lux was deadly serious, and Tohka was put into a shy part.

I mean, think about it! The boy who you very much like just dragged you into some random room, said that he wanted to talk to you about something, but looked like he was going to _do something_ to you!

Was he going to announce that he was going to take her on a date? If so, he didn't need to bring her here. Was it that the mission was incredibly dangerous that he needed her to stay put? If so, then there was no way she was going to follow his orders. Was he going to kiss her like last time? There was no way!

So many thoughts were boiling in her mind, but the moment he cleared his throat, her line of thoughts came to a full stop.

"So… I bet you're wondering why I brought you here, huh?" His question was met with a nod. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to keep the blush hidden. "Well, first of all, I'm really sorry for dragging you here against your will. It's just…"

He needed to say it. While she was a Spirit who knew close to zero about this world, he was a human who had been taught many things as he grew. There was no way he could go out there without telling her this.

"…I'd like your permission to save her," he requested.

"Huh?" Taken aback at this sudden request, she couldn't help but stay transfixed to her spot, blinking in surprise. Was this all there was to it? "Well, sure. You're saving someone. Why would you—"

"Because of this…" He didn't say nothing, but he leaned close to her, gripping her arm and pulling her into a chaste kiss.

"Mmff..!" She could remember the sensation once again, gently massaging her lips. But just as quick as it came, so too did he retract himself from her. "W-Wha…"

"Tohka, you're what we humans call a Spirit. And this organisation my sister called Ratatoskr is dedicated to saving these Spirits," he began. "And I'm the only one that can do this. But… What I did to you, a kiss, I must do to others."

At that, her eyes widened to the size of pans, a myriad of emotions overflowing into her.

Guilt, jealousy, worry, fear, awe—she knew not what to make sense of.

"I have to make them fall in love with me if I want to save them. That's why I had to bring this up before I go out there," he frowned, gritting his teeth. He couldn't believe this. "I'm sorry…"

Dipping his head low, he didn't dare meet her eyes no longer. As he stared at the ground, he began remembering how he was once like this as well.

Long before he had grown the backbone to speak to his upperclassmen and classmates, to assist them in their studies, to even call himself Origami's friend… He was a coward.

He averted his gaze from people when they talked to him, he never stayed too long in places with a lot of people, and he usually did things alone.

It was only because of Kotori and Mana's help and advices that gave him the courage to break out of his shell.

'And yet…' A small part of his mind sniped at him. 'Why is it that I feel that there's more to that..?'

"So… You have to kiss others if you want to save them?" Tohka's voice broke the painful silence, after what seemed to be hours, when it was only a few minutes.

"It is," he nodded, still not looking at her.

He knew that if he had told her this after he went to seal Hermit's powers, then she would force herself to understand. To just love him as much, and endure the pain. She would bide herself, allowing him to do such a thing as she watched, or even worse, cried.

That wasn't what he wanted. He wanted her to at least know the sort of thing he was going to do. He didn't want to hide something behind her back. He wanted to be completely honest with her. He needed her to trust him, and as such, he was willing to come completely clean.

"…You like her more than me, don't you?" She didn't want to be negative, but her heart was being stubborn.

"What? No!" He was slightly insulted by her words, but he didn't care about that. He still didn't even look at her. "Listen, Tohka! I'm not doing this because I'm playing favorites or anything! It's just… I don't want her to constantly be chased around by the AST!"

He knew his reasoning was weak. In comparison to her sharp words, his played no strength. And yet, he needed to get his message across.

"Please, Tohka, understand this," he took in a breath. "I wanted to save you, because I couldn't stand seeing you always being sad. I wanted you to smile…"

He didn't know whether his words would be enough, but he had to do this.

"I saw you getting chased around by the AST. It must have sucked, I know. My mind kept screaming at me to save you. To hold your hand, and show you that whatever you thought of this world was wrong," Lux gulped. "I wanted to show you the good things about this planet too. And… I want to do the same for the other Spirits as well. Please, Tohka…"

He lowered his head even lower, now resembling a sort of bow. Eyes screwed shut, he awaited her response. If she wouldn't allow this, then… Then there was nothing he could do. But his heart begged her to understand.

"…Fine," she sighed. Eyes wide, Lux stared back at her. "You say that you're doing this to save us, right? Then… I support you."

"R-Really? Even if I'm going to kiss them?" A kiss was a pretty intimate thing. To do this with someone else felt wrong to him.

"Of course. You'll be saving them from themselves and others, after all," she smiled after some time. "I could never forget the man who saved _my_ life. And he's doing what he can to save others… How could I not allow him to go?"

Unsure what to say, he could only remain seated, in awe with the Spirit.

"Thank you…" He sighed in relief.

"But… Just don't forget me too, you know?" She huffed, blushing a bit. "I still like you too, and… I just…"

"Hey. I don't just kiss any girl I see, you know," he snorted. "I'm only going to do that to girls I love."

"So… you love Hermit?" Her question wasn't all that surprising, considering that she had asked him that already, added with how he had just phrased his words earlier, but he supposed he could answer her.

"For now, she and I are on the most bottom level of the affection meter. You and I, I'd like to call us a couple, if you're willing to do so," he smiled, laughing at the way her blush now covered her entire face. "Haha… Although, I doubt I'll be a couple with just you. I might become one with Hermit too someday."

"True… When the time comes, you're going to be lovey-dovey with them as well…" She sighed, but the smile she had remained intact. "Okay, I understand. Thank you for telling me, Lux."

"Of course," he nodded. "So just stay here, alright?"

"What? But I don't want to!" Tohka made an effort to stand up, but how he held her down, and kissed her once again had stopped her movements.

"I want you, and everyone else, to be safe and away from the danger," his words were soothing, keeping her in place. "Because I want to go back home to a loving family. Is that so much to ask for?"

Breath hitched in her throat, she wailed as she pushed him away, turning away from him.

"Fine… But just… Come back too!" She didn't bother to turn around, too embarrassed to look at him. His words were like beautiful notes that aroused various emotions in her heart. "You promised me a date!"

"Hell yeah. I'll be bringing you on more than one, so you'd better be ready," he snickered, making his way towards the door. "Thanks again."

*Creak…*

And the room was silent.

After Lux had left, so too did a warm feeling bloom in the Spirit's heart.

'It's hard not to love him…' She smiled, dreamily.

* * *

Shopping Mall

Arriving at his designated location via the Fraxinus's warping mechanism, he hid himself in one of the mannequin stores. While he would've liked hiding behind a pillar and not close to these creepy alive-looking things, this was his best bet at staying hidden.

*Bzzz…*

Perking up, he pulled out his phone, sighing in relief. It was just a pen pal that he had befriended… what? Three years ago? Back when he first experienced puberty?

This pen pal of his went by the name 'Lily'. She was apparently a song writer. While he would have found it rather suspicious to just befriend anyone on the internet, it seemed that she was a rather trustworthy person.

She had been sending e-mails to him, attached with music clips of her rehearsing a song. And needless to say, he loved it.

Lux couldn't find anything bad about her. She was one who put every much effort into the songs she makes, and she was somewhat friendly. And of course, the times when she did make a mistake with her songs, he would help her rectify it.

The two people, though not knowing each other face-to-face, developed a sense of friendliness with each other.

There was just a sense of excitement being friends with someone whose face you couldn't see.

'And yet… Why do I feel as if I'm just sharing the same mindset with someone else..?' He thought about it, but ultimately decided to forget it.

Tapping on the screen, he was brought up with the e-mail she sent her. Reading through it, he smiled warmly.

 _'To Blue:_

 _Thanks again for the help! I think everyone loved it!_  
 _Keep helping me out next time, kay'?_

 _From: Lily'_

It was short and simple message, but it meant a lot to him.

Closing the phone, he decided to focus on his current task. While he would have loved to write more lyrics in his book—yes, the same book he never shared with anyone else—this was a much more pressing matter.

*Tk. Tk. Tk.*

The sound of footsteps were clearer now. They rung through the corridor, like a ball that had bounced through emptiness. Looking right around the corner, however, he saw no one.

"The heck? I thought I heard someone…" He huffed. "Must be my imagination, I suppose."

"Oh, it's not," another voice reassured him.

"Ahh, that's good to—Hyghaa!" He started as calm, but the knowledge that there was indeed someone else here had struck him hard, forcing him to yelp as he jumped away.

"Hihi! That was hilarious!" The voice from earlier laughed.

"Yeah, laugh at a guy who… just…" He trailed off, looking at the figure.

Or two.

Before him stood the same girl from the video recordings he's seen earlier, wearing the green bunny jacket with a white frilly dress underneath. On her left hand, however, was a white rabbit puppet with an eyepatch replacing its right eye.

The voice, he knew, clearly came from the puppet.

'The heck is this..?' He asked himself. He tapped the earpiece, whispering as he closed his mouth. "Kotori, what's going on..?"

" _There seems to be two separate entities before you,_ " the redhead pointed out. " _We're not sure how they're going to act, but you'd better be careful, alright? We don't want to provoke them._ "

"Yeah, got it…" He nodded, before leaving the earpiece on. "So… What's up?"

"Mmm?" Staring up at the ceiling, the puppet spoke. "The ceiling."

"A-Ahh… No, what I mean is…" That felt awkward. He didn't expect it to take his words so literally. "It's a greeting. Like, how are you?"

"Ohh, I get it!" The puppet nodded. "Yoshinon is fine!"

"Yoshinon… Is it the puppet or the girl..?" He asked Kotori.

" _Not sure. But, judging by the way it behaves, I'm betting that it's the puppet,_ " the girl answered.

"Got it…" He nodded. "Well then, Yoshinon. That's your name, right?"

"Mmhm! I'm Yoshinon!" The rabbit-puppet nodded. "And who are you?"

"Lux von' Halcyon," the boy answered. He supposed it would be fine to lower his defenses around them for a bit. "So hey, what are you doing here?"

"Well, we just decided to go take a walk," the puppet gave a short shrug. "And you? Are you here to bully Yoshinon too?"

"The answer to your question is no. I'm not here to bully you," he shook his head. But then the response he would give had to be convincing. He thought hard on it, finally coming up with an answer. "I was just… looking for inspiration."

"Inspiration..?" The girl finally spoke, for the first time since she was here.

"Yup. Inspiration," he nodded. "See, I have a friend who's making songs and the like. And I thought, if I could give her ideas on what type of songs she could make, then I was more than happy to help her."

"Ooh! Lux, you're a singer?" Yoshinon asked, very curious.

"Nope. The most I can be is a song producer," he chuckled back, pulling out his phone and turning on the lights on the camera. "Sorry. The place is just super dark."

"It's okay…" The girl's words were so soft that he could almost mistaken her for the wind, but he knew they were words.

"Hey Yoshinon," he called as he began walking. "What's your friend's name?"

"This is Yoshino!" The puppet answered in stead of the girl. "And I'm Yoshinon!"

"Yes, yes, I know. You already said it," he rolled his eyes, slightly amused. While it was technically strange for him to be talking with two people in one instance, he supposed it was fine for now.

* * *

"So Lux is with Hermit right now?" Origami asked once again, a sigh from the blueberry-haired girl.

"Yes, Origami. Nii-sama is talking to Hermit right now…" Mana repeated once again, knowing this was the fifth time she had to say it.

While she understood why Origami was worried for him, considering that he was just a human, he was still a human with powers none of them knew. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that he was stronger than the both of them combined.

Gai himself had wondered how the girls would fare in a battle against the lad, but he decided not to uphold such a duel, in fear that Lux could get injured. And he swore that such a thing would never happen, lest he faces Kotori's wrath.

Pushing aside all these needless thoughts, Mana decided to keep a close eye on the building. If anything went wrong, she'd need to go in.

"Origami-san, you should have some faith in Nii-sama. He's capable of fending for himself now, you know. He'll be fine," she reassured her.

"…Fine," the silver-haired girl sighed. "But if anything goes wrong, and he gets hurt, I'm going in."

"You're not the only who will. Trust me," Mana nodded. She worried for her brother just as much as Origami did.

* * *

"So never do anything like that ever again…" He groaned, rolling his tired shoulder.

Just earlier, Yoshino—or rather, Yoshinon controlled Yoshino, maybe?—had climbed up several things, and were doing dumb stuff and all that. Making poses, trying to look cool in the process. Of course, the instinct to keep them safe kicked in, but it costed him body pain.

She jumped off from ledges, hung onto ceilings, and once even nearly slipped down the escalator. He may have helped them avoid a such a painful tragedy, but that pain transferred to him.

" _Jeez, Lux. Ever the hero you are, huh?_ " Kotori snickered in amusement.

"Don't need to remind me…" He whispered back, before looking at the girls, whom, surprisingly enough, shared a look of guilt. "…What?"

"Sorry…" Yoshino muttered, loud enough for him to hear, but soft that he almost missed it.

"Nah, it's fine…" He stood, stretching his arms above him. The crack never felt so satisfying. "But, if possible, try not to do anything as dangerous as that. Please? For my sake?"

"Hmm… Okay, Lux. We won't do that anymore," Yoshinon nodded, a grin returned on their faces.

"Good to hear," he stared at the area around them, wondering why there was a bad feeling in his gut. "Hmm? Why is it—"

*Bruggh..!*

"Whoa!" Lux jumped back, watching the way how deformed arms began to protrude from masses of black that just appeared on the ground. "What the hell?!"

Only when the arms began to show their own bodies did Lux finally realise what these things were.

They were the same monsters he's seen at the park before this!

"Crud…" Clicking his tongue, he stuck his hand into his body. It worked just like before, creating streaks of silver around him. Pulling out the gun from his body, he aimed it at himself. 'Tohka… Tohka… Tohka…'

Thinking of the same purple hair she had, his own black crown crystallised into purple, growing longer until they reached his chin.

Pulling the trigger—

*Bang!*

Purple light filled the area, with some of them taking form into a large sword that materialised in his left hand.

Dropping the gun, it shaped into silver threads, returning into his body. He pocketed his hand, clicking on his phone to start a track playing.

 ***Persona 4—Reach out to the Truth (Play Song)***

Swinging his sword, he readied himself as Lily's voice rung in his ears.

"You shouldn't be here," he sighed, his blue eye radiating brightly. "I ask that you stand down, or I'll take action myself."

The creatures made no response, groaning before they rushed him.

"If that is your answer, then so be it," Lux huffed, wielding the sword with both hands, before rushing in.

*Boom!*

The powerful shockwave caused debris to fly. He jetted towards the crowd of monsters, slashing his blade across the monsters. He sent them flying backwards, instantly killing them as they dissipated into black matter.

"Yoshinon, Yoshino, I need you two to leave this place," he requested, sounding much more mature than before. "It's far too dangerous here. Unless you can fight?"

"Sorry…" Yoshino whispered, looking guilty.

"You don't need to apologise. Just go," he smiled, dodging a swing before returning it with his own attack. "If you'd please."

Nodding, the girls left the area.

Now, with no more obstructions, he supposed a little bit of damage would be fine. Although, he promised to keep it to a minimum. Reconstruction would cost quite the coin.

He sidestepped the monsters' attacks, launching an arc of energy towards them. The attack blasted them apart, leaving nothing behind. He launched himself into the air, landing deftly on the ceiling, letting loose another blast at the monsters. It blew them apart once again.

Kicking his feet away from the ceiling, he dug [Sandalphon] into one of the creatures, before slicing apart another. He kicked one of them in the gut, sending it into a pillar with enough force to shatter it. He dealt a roundhouse kick to another, guillotining the last one with the holy blade.

Sensing another oncoming wave from his right, he drew the blade in a fast motion, creating a powerful arc of energy that ripped through them like paper. They burst into black matter, spewing from their dead bodies.

"I'm surprised that these things are easy to kill," he blinked. "Well, it doesn't matter. I should get this done quick."

And he jumped into the fray once more.

 ***Persona 4—Reach out to the Truth (End Song)***

After the song clicked, signalling its end, so too did Lux finish his battle with the creatures.

Muttering a simple thanks to his Spirit friend, he willed the sword to disappear. The purple hair on his head soon returned to its original black state.

"Fwoo! Well, that was a tiring battle…" He sighed. "Now then, time to go find Yoshino and Yoshinon."

And off he went, in search of the girls.

Last he remembered, they were running towards the food area. If he was lucky, they should still be there.

And thankfully, they were there. He could see Yoshino hiding behind one of the pillars, keeping her gaze down. Knowing that she'd only get spooked if he approached her silently, he decided to call out to her.

"Yoshino! Yoshinon! Where are you?" He cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted.

"H-Here..!" The blue-haired girl came at his signal, adopting a look of surprise. "You're… okay?"

"Mmhm. They weren't all that hard, really," he shrugged. "Are you hurt?"

"N-No…" She shook her head. "Thank you…"

"It's nothing really," he shook his head. Looking up, he frowned. "…Actually, you know what, I have a favour to ask of you."

"Hmm? What is it, Lux?" Yoshinon asked this time.

"Well…" He began.

* * *

Five Minutes Later

As a grey-haired boy continued watching the strangely-clothed girls standing outside some shopping complex, he decided that he'd stay his hand.

He was rather tall for a Japanese sixteen-year-old, reaching a height of 180 centimetres. He had silver hair and gray eyes, wearing a white dress-shirt underneath an open black school blazer with dark black pants and leather shoes.

As he continued to observe them, he received a call a moment later. Afterwards, nodding just before the call ended, he took his leave.

Unbeknownst to the stranger that watched them earlier, the AST stood on-guard outside, waiting for the moment that their target would leave the building. And yet, after what seemed like hours, only then did they receive a message from commands centre.

"What? Hermit's not in the building?" Their squad leader, Ryouko Kusakabe, spoke in a disbelieving tone. "But she was just here!"

While the rest of the squad were all busy worrying on where she had gone off to, it seemed that both Mana and Origami had an idea.

"What did your brother do?" Origami asked, as blank-sounding as ever.

"I'm not sure. Kotori never said anything," Mana shook her head. "I… think we should get home, as quick as we can once everything's over."

"If you say so," the grey-haired girl nodded.

* * *

Lux's Home

"So this is Hermit?" Tohka asked as she looked at the girl who was sitting at the couch. She was about to go speak to her, until Lux called her. Curious, she walked to him, leaning in close to hear his whispering.

"The girl is Yoshino… And the puppet's Yoshinon… But don't call Yoshinon a puppet…" The fact that he was whispering this to her must have meant that it was incredibly serious.

"Okay," she nodded back. She walked back to the living room. "Neh, Yoshino, Yoshinon. Do you both want anything to eat?"

"H-Huh? N-No, we couldn't…" She raised her arms in defense, looking slightly worried

"You don't need to worry so much. Lux says it's fine,. Plus, what he makes is amazing!" The purple-haired Spirit smiled back, calming down the younger female. "So? Anything?"

"Umm… Maybe… soup..?" She whimpered, unsure what to say.

"Okay," Tohka nodded, before shouting towards Lux's way. "Yoshino and Yoshinon wants soup!"

"Got it!" Lux shouted back, already getting down to work in the kitchen.

"So, Lux cooks here, hmm?" The puppet broke the silence.

"Yup! And he's an amazing chef!" She nodded back, beginning to count down with her fingers. "He's made spaghetti, cakes, rice dishes—"

"Done," Lux spoke as he now stood before the three girls, holding a bowl of warm soup in his hands. The girls looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"T-That was quick!" Yoshino herself was surprised as well.

"Meh. It isn't hard to make something like this," he chuckled. Setting it down on the table, he returned to the kitchen, before popping out of it with a clean spoon. "Here you go," he handed the bluenette her spoon. "Careful now. It's hot."

"O-Okay…" She nodded. She dipped the spoon into the warm soup, before placing it onto her lips.

*Slurp…*

Standing there, waiting for her response, Lux couldn't help but worry. Was what he made enough to satisfy her tastes? He hoped so. If not, then it would be such an embarrassment to him.

"It's… good…" The girl finally spoke after some time, eyes wide after her tastebuds were exposed to such a treat.

"O-Oh? Well, that's good then," he sighed in relief. 'I still got it!'

But thinking back on it now, he wondered how he became such a great cook to begin with. In fact, he didn't remember purchasing cookbooks back in the day, or ever. So how did he—

*Bang!*

"Lux! / Nii-sama!" Both Kotori and Mana rushed into the house, wearing looks of worry. "Where is—"

"Shoes," his cold voice snapped their movements. "Out. Now."

They moved like robots, placing their shoes outside of the house. When they returned into the house, they were wearing looks of fear and guilt.

"What is it?" He crossed his arms.

"W-Where…" Was all they managed.

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to say much, considering that he was visibly mad due to their lack of manners—as he would say—he decided to answer them directly. He knew what their questions were.

"You were wondering where Hermit had gone off to. And safe to say, I took her home," he explained, facial expression softening as he gestured to the girl on the couch. "I couldn't trust the AST to hold off any longer. She'll be staying here in the meantime."

"Huh? But we don't have enough rooms," Mana would have called his decision a smart one, but the fact that there were not enough beds for them all had made her stay her tongue.

"True. Which is why," he looked to Tohka next. "Can you share your bed with her? Just for the meantime."

"Ehh? Why?" The girl pouted.

"Because if we were to buy another bed, it would cost quite the amount. Plus, we don't have rooms to store them in, after all," he sighed. He was not ready to pay extra to renovate the house. Sure, Ratatoskr could do that, but was it really necessary?

"Fine… But she'd better not blame me if I start kicking around in my sleep," the purple-haired Spirit huffed.

"I-I won't…" The fellow Spirit shook her head.

"Good. That settles that. So…" he huffed, crossing his arms over him once more. "What now?"


	6. Chapter 5

"Did we not, though?" - Speech

'We met before…' - Thoughts

 _"You don't know him."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!* - Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 5: Phantom of One's Self [}

That Night

After a much heated argument on what had to be done in the future, Yoshino was already sleeping, just beside Tohka, who was also asleep, clutching the bread pillow strongly.

Mana and Kotori, sharing a bedroom, had long turned in for the day as well.

Lux, however, was busy pooling his thoughts over everything that had just happened.

Clearly, what transpired today was not supposed to happen. The fact that he had brought up the matter to Tohka had negated the chance for any bad things to happen. While there was still a little bit of distrust between the two Spirits, they were slowly warming up to each other. Good, he thought. There was no need for any feuds between the two.

And then, he had brought Yoshino and Yoshinon to his home, even though the former was a tad bit shy to comply. Luckily, the puppet managed to change her mind, and both followed him in the end. This wouldn't put her at a risk of being under the AST's radar. Again, a good thing.

He began wondering whether or not someone had been in his position once, and that they had no choice but to deal with the situations of which he's managed to avoid.

Right now, those thoughts weren't as important as the one he had on hand now.

Writing words into the book, he had to make sure that they had a smooth flow. It had to sound rich on the tongue, linger in their ears and mind, and it had to be otherwise nice-sounding. Plainly scrambling up the lyrics would help no one, not even himself.

As he wrote, he received a notification from his phone.

"Hmm? Must be Lily," he smiled, taking the phone and tapping on the screen.

 _'To Blue:_

 _Thanks for your comment! It was really nice to hear that you liked it as always!_

 _In any case, I have a new piece, and I was hoping you could tell me how it sounded?_

 _Don't rush, you can just tell me tomorrow. In any case, see ya'!_

 _From: Lily'_

Chuckling, he checked the attached file. Downloading it, he set the phone aside. He'll listen to it after school tomorrow.

'For now,' and he made his way towards his own bedroom. 'Sleep is calling to me.'

* * *

The Next Day

Today was a bit different than usual. Whilst he would have enjoyed going to school with his friends, today, he decided that he'd try going at a different pace today.

Lux would admit that he had never done such a thing. Going to school alone, that is. He remembered that, before Tohka, there was Kotori to accompany him. This could possibly be his first time going to school alone.

Rather than waiting for Tohka to wake up and get ready, he himself got up early before anyone else had brushed their teeth, readied himself and cooked himself a good breakfast. He left everyone else's bento boxes in the oven, ready to be cooked whenever they got up.

"I did promise Lily I was going to listen to her song… May as well do in a situation I could find myself relaxed in," he told himself, smiling as he walked to school. He took the earphones plugged to his phone and wore them. With a tap on his phone, the song played.

 ***NightKeepers—Colourful Voice (Play Song)***

As his feet carried him off to his designated location, a girl's voice filled both his ears, soothing his heart as he enjoyed such a masterful piece.

It was clear to him how much this meant to her. How she sounded so happy only made him enjoy it even further, and he couldn't help but walk with a happier stride.

And the world looked ever more happier, as if shaping itself to the voicer's wishes. The people around him giggled and laughed as they ran and play, and the children rushed off to their own schools, holding hands with one another and bright grins on their faces.

The smell of freshly baked bread filled his nostrils, originating from the bread stalls by the side of the road. The bread sellers themselves were filled with joy that the boy couldn't help but share, smiling at the people around him.

"Hahaha!" The children rushed past him. He sidestepped this little stampede, watching them from behind.

There seemed to be no end to the beautiful words the girl sung in his ears, and he felt every fibre of his being dance to the notes. It seems that his help really did make a change on her music.

And yet, even then, she would sing as beautiful as the heavens above. He knew it to be so, forever.

'Wow… Lily, you really have outdone yourself,' he grinned.

 ***NightKeepers—Colourful Voice (End Song)***

After some more walking, he was now at school. Stepping into his classroom, he was instantly met with a few reactions.

"Lux!" Three voices resonated at the same time, and the next thing he knew, he was being dragged to where he sat at.

"Whoa!" He almost fell down earlier, but was thankful that that wasn't the case.

"Lux! Where were you?!" His Spirit friend pouted, rather adorably if he had anything to add.

"I… thought I left you a note? I said that I was going on a little morning stroll," he blinked, adding another part quickly. "Alone?"

"Aww… Why couldn't I come with you?" She asked, whining this time.

"As if. It was very early in the morning when I left the house. There was no way I was going to wake you up so early just to come with me. I'd rather let you get all rested up," he shrugged.

the group of four took their seats, deciding to wait until the class teacher arrived.

"Alright, class! Please settle down!" Ms. Okamine arrived, ever the cheerful woman she is.

Knowing that there was no use doing nothing, the boy paid his full attention in class, deciding to get through the day as quickly as he could.

* * *

When recess rolled in, they decided to eat together, enjoying their dishes with each other. But what Lux couldn't understand…

Was why the girls were glaring at each other from time to time. There were times when their glances would shift to his, before back to their food. He mentally sighed, finding this to be quite annoying.

Nonetheless, he paid their little scuffle no mind. At least there weren't any beatings or the like. If there were, however, he would have to take action.

And no one was ready to see to what extents he would go.

*Knock knock!*

Smooth raps on the door pulled everyone's attention towards it. Ms. Okamine walked to the door, pushing it open.

They couldn't see who it was, due to their teacher obscuring their vision, but the way that their teacher was looking down gave Lux enough idea that whoever she was talking to, was shorter than her.

"Okay," the woman nodded, before turning to look at the boy. "Lux, you have a visitor!"

"Hmm? O…kay," he stepped away from the table, walking to the door, only to meet a familiar person. "Huh? Yoshino? What are you doing here?"

"I-I, uhh…" She grew flustered at that moment, unsure what to do, besides handing him a package. "Here…"

Curious as to what she had given him, he tore the paper wrapping apart and pocketing it away. It was then that he realised it was actually a box of electronic components that he had purchased online once.

Thinking back now, he remembered that it was supposed to arrive today.

"Wait, you came all the way here to give me this?" Lux blinked, somewhat surprised. "You know, you could have just put this on the table or something."

"Oh. S-Sorry…" She whimpered. The sigh that came after had her scared, but how he gently rubbed her head afterwards had her stiff.

"I'm not mad. It's just… you had to come a long way just to give me this," he chuckled, kneeling to one leg so to face her. "Yoshino, can you go home on your own? If you'd want, I can take you there."

"N-No. I'd like to stay here, please…" She tugged the hood of her jacket downwards to cover the upper portion of her face, but unable to hide the blush on her face.

"Well, Ms. Okamine? Can she stay?" He asked as he looked up.

"It's fine," the teacher gave her approval. "Just make sure to watch over her, alright? We don't want any accidents happening."

"Yeah, you got it," he nodded, standing to full height now. "Okay then. For today, you'll be under my personal watch. Don't go running off, you hear?"

"H-Hai!" The girl gave a firm nod.

* * *

Evening

With school finally over, and no homework given out, Lux had escorted his Spirit companions home, ensuring that they were comfortable and their needs settled—thankfully, food wasn't something he had to worry about anymore, since Ratatoskr was giving him funds every now and then—before he left for the groceries store.

On his way, he began to notice how there seemed to be someone, or _something_ following him. Of course, turning around to see what it was proved to be futile, as it would immediately go into hiding.

Feeling slightly unnerved, the lad quickened his pace, reaching the groceries store in less than six minutes.

"Welcome!" The shopkeeper let out a wide smile.

Smiling back, Lux made his way towards the inner section of the store, looking for spices and herbs he would be using in his next dishes. Apparently, the shopkeeper sold some in his shop, and it was very much appreciated.

"Hmm… Parsley, a bit of cumin, and maybe some curry powder…" He hummed to himself, scanning the racks for the herbs he needed. After picking out everything, he returned to the counter, paying for the items. "Here you go."

"That'll be six hundred and thirty-two yen," the shopkeeper spoke, prompting the lad to pull out his wallet and withdraw the specified amount. "So, how're your sisters?"

"They're doing fine. Maybe a tad bit childish at times, but they're the same as ever," he smiled, passing the notes to the older man. 'Well, counting out the fact that they're part of some organisation that's dedicated to saving beings with destructive powers, so yeah.'

"Well, you'd do well to keep raising them happy and safe. They're good girls," the man passed the plastic bag of herbs to the boy, the latter taking it.

"Yeah, of course," Lux nodded back, leaving the store after saying his byes. Going down the street and back home, the same feeling of being watched returned, and he couldn't find himself remaining calm.

Keeping a way look at his surroundings meant nothing if whatever was watching him was going to disappear right away. He sighed, hoping that it was just some curious critter, and not a person.

With just one bag of groceries in his hand meant that he could still attack this stalker of his with his free hand. Although, he wouldn't feel right spawning [Ascalon] in the public just to spook them. It would have been overkill.

Plus, he'd be labelled as an 'inhuman', get taken into some random laboratory and have experimentations being carried out on him.

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel as if he's met the person who's suffered such a fate before.

Taking into account everything that has already occurred, he supposed being watched was the least of his worries. Besides getting attacked by strange humanoid-like creatures and almost dying to a kaiju, that is. Oh, and girls who apparently are the triggers to the space quakes everywhere around him.

'Jeez… How did life take such a sharp turn? What did I do wrong?' He mused to himself, fully ignoring the stalking presence behind him.

After a much needed time to recollect his emotions and thoughts, organising them in his heart and mind as always, he returned to his home, welcomed with the sight of his sisters and friends lazing around.

"I'm back," he grinned, walking to the kitchen and setting down the bag on the table. "Was I gone for too long?"

"Nope," his blue-haired sister smiled.

"Good to hear," he returned the gesture, joining them at the couch. "Ahh man… I wonder how else things could get weirder. Maybe add in some outer-dimensional fighters if God wants to so much."

"You better be careful with what you say, Onii-chan. Anything is possible, after all," Kotori giggled.

"No kidding… I discover that my sisters are a commander of a ship and a soldier of some task force, that the girls currently living in my house are not humans, and that I have two classmates who, one, is a part of said task force that hunts down 'Spirits' and the other who helps my sisters save them…" He groaned, unable to believe himself for being able to recount all that.

"Indeed. And things are only going to get weirder from now," the smile she had held no malicious thoughts. Just bare truth.

"Welp, we should turn in for the night soon. You girls have eaten already, right?" His question was met with collective nods. "Good. Well then, I'll see you all tomorrow."

Leaving for his own bedroom, he had released a couple few yawns. Even so, he supposed it was fine. School was the usual, but it didn't meant that he wouldn't get tired. Now that was just idiocy. Being tired was just part of being human.

And as he was no longer in earshot, the girls had then shifted their brief discussion prior to him once more.

"Kotori, you said you wanted to tell us a bit about him. What is it about?" Tohka asked, sounding curious. The redhead in question let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure… Biologically, he's purely human, yet the display of powers hints that there may have been a change in his internal structures," she shrugged.

"Sorry! We don't understand!" Yoshinon spoke up, loud as ever. The bluenette of which the puppet perched on gave a nod of agreement.

"Haah… What I mean is, something must have happened to him if he's capable of using whatever powers he's got on him," she repeated in a slower fashion this time.

"True. Gai mentioned something about Nii-sama having something called the 'Power of the King', which supposed allows him to extract a 'Void'," Mana began. "Basically a manifestation of one's inner power. And yet…"

Everyone's gaze fell on Tohka, who tilted her head in response despite the sudden attention.

"Nii-sama's ability to draw out Tohka's 'Angel' is just… We're not sure what to say, but it is pretty unique," she crossed her arms over herself, understandably amazed with her brother. "But… there is something that strikes me as odd."

"And what's that?" Yoshino piped in the conversation.

"It's just… Every one who has this 'Power of the King' supposedly has a mark on the back of their hand, and yet… Nii-sama doesn't really have one," the blueberry-haired girl hummed to herself in thought. She knew just wondering about it won't really get her the answers, but not getting anything right now, just thinking about it was enough for now.

It wasn't the matter whether he had it or not now. In fact, it was already there with him the moment he was born.

The Void Genome was merely the catalyst of awakening for the boy.

* * *

Four Days Later

It was a weekend. Finally!

Lux had been looking forwards to Saturday. He had been wanting to help Lily revise the newest piece she's sent him just a night ago. He hadn't been able to do much, considering that he had stacks of homework to complete.

Thankfully, being on par with Origami, the super genius herself, he had no trouble finishing every work there was. All that was left was a satisfied Lux with an aching hand, after writing so much and too quickly.

The boy, while of course promising his pen pal that he'd help her out with her music piece, had also been been doing check-ups on himself.

Ever since unlocking his powers, he's never really taken the time to properly examine himself. Rather, he had thrusted himself straight into the battle, wielding the strength of the sword that belongs to Tohka.

It only grew stranger when he realised that every time he wields the power bestowed upon him, he underwent a drastic change in personality. It was as if he turned into a completely different person, capable of extracting the simplest bricks of his otherwise normal personality and modify it into an otherwise more complicated string of information.

But what he took into account the most, was his different-coloured left eye. Surely, his birthmark must play an important role in all of this, since it only shone each time he weld his power.

But he knew that, as he lived, he should be focused on the living, not on serious things. Leaving the house, he said that he was going to help Lily with her piece. And there was no way he was going to back out of his promise.

Taking a train, he arrived at the mall after a short walk, trapped in a world of window-shoppers, actual shoppers, and all types of men cladded either in business suits or casual wear.

His actual reason for coming here wasn't to check Lily's latest piece, no. That could be done even at home, actually. In fact, he was here to pick up his order from a music store there. He had made an order for a simple acoustic guitar. He paled at the price he's seen tagged to the beautiful instrument, but since Ratatoskr was basically giving him funds every day—no kidding, his mailbox would be filled with packages of money each time he'd check it—he was able to buy just about anything.

Entering the store, he was met with the sight of music enthusiasts fawning over musical instruments, and customers purchasing their desired items from the shopkeeper. Waiting in line for a short while, he finally reached the shopkeeper.

"Mornin'. How can I help you?" The man, possibly in his mid-30's, greeted the young boy.

"I'm here to pick up an order of mine," the lad answered, pulling out a receipt from his wallet. "See, I purchased this a few days ago. This here…"

"Hmm… Ahh, okay. I see your name right here," the adult nodded as he stared at the screen of his computer with a look of understanding. "Very well then. Please wait a moment. Ren!"

"Coming," a soft voice, belonging to that of a male, responded from the back, before he finally appeared, carrying a guitar case in his arms.

A tall boy, no doubt, possibly taller than him by five centimetres. He was wearing what seemed to be fake glasses, wearing a simple white dress shirt and blue jeans. With unkempt black hair and dark gray eyes, it wouldn't be hard to call him attractive, though dull as others would call him. A silent charm, Lux would describe it.

"Is this mine?" Lux asked, responded with a nod from the other boy, who passed it to him. "Oh, thanks."

"Come again next time!" The man waved at the bluenette, who returned the gesture as he left the shop.

Slinging the guitar case over his shoulder, he made his way towards the train station. Today was surprisingly crowded with people, almost suffocating for the young lad. Thankfully, he managed to wade through this massive horde just fine.

Halfway through, however, he bumped into a boy with similar-coloured hair, eyes unfocused on the road before him as his mind drifted to the thoughts of playing the sucker he just got.

The blue-haired boy, with similar-coloured eyes, was the same height as Lux was. He was wearing a white school uniform underneath an open black blazer with a loose black bow tie, black pants held together by a white belt, and black earphones.

"U-Uhh, sorry…" Lux apologised, the boy from earlier giving a nod before leaving. 'Crud… Keep your eyes on the road, Lux…'

Finished with that short self-scolding, he quickened his pace, wanting to get back home as quickly as he possibly could. There was much to be done, after all.

* * *

Lux's Home

After he got back home, he settled the guitar and its case in his room, returning to the kitchen to make himself a simple chicken sandwich. He sat at the living room, sharing some with Tohka and Yoshino, since his sisters were currently out working.

And by working, you know what their occupations are at this point. Yes, readers, I'm talking about you.

"So what's a guitar?" Yoshinon asked, averting her gaze from the television to look at Lux.

"It's…" Lux paused to swallow the bread and lettuce in his mouth. "An object of which can be used to create musical notes."

"That… sounds amazing…" Yoshino stared up at the boy in amazement.

"Oh, not really. Whatever songs people make, there's bound to be the use of guitars," he shrugged. "In any case, let's talk about you girls. Anything happen while I was away?"

"Mmm… Kotori and Mana said that they were going to Gai to discuss about you," Tohka answered the lad.

"Curious, they must be. That I am capable of doing things that most people shouldn't be doing," he snickered, taking a cup of warm tea and drinking.

"Must be! Lux, you pulled out something from inside of you after all!" The puppet chirped in amazement. "Yoshino heard from Inori that that isn't possible at all! She says that whoever has your power can only pull a thing out of someone else!"

"Tell me about it… Pulling out a gun from inside of you feels super tingly too…" His body shuddered as he remembered such a sensation. "And then… shooting yourself in the head with that…"

"Shouldn't it hurt, though?" The purple-haired Spirit asked with slight worry.

"No… It just feels like a little shock on your brain, then it just… I'm not sure how to put it into words. Too complicating…" He gave up in the end, sighing, before perking up. "Well, I just hope nothing bad comes to happen. I _really_ don't want that."

It was just a gut feeling, for some reason he himself knew not of. A malignant part of his mind sniped at him, nagging him with such bothersome thoughts. He desperately wanted to believe that such thoughts were just that; _thoughts_. And yet, there was the unnecessary feeling that it could happen.

Now the second question he had was, what sort of bad thing could probably happen? He could count some, but not limited to; kaiju attacks, more of those humanoid-like creatures, and possibly… terrorism? Hopefully not the last part. He was willing to dirty his hands with the blood of a monster, but he wasn't mentally prepared to take a man's life just yet.

Not yet.

Deciding that he had done too much thinking for such a short period of time, he decided to give it some rest, taking a seat at a free couch and beginning to lie down.

"Wake me up if anything goes down…" His words reached the girls well, and the last thing he felt was sleep overtaking him.

* * *

Lux's Dreamscape

Dreamworld was anything but ordinary. The simple black void surrounded him, and there was not much to think or see. He could feel his body haven taken shape, but as he moved, he felt as if he were touching air. But what lasted for what seemed to feel like millennia for him, the scenery shifted to a familiar scene.

Lux stood before a gigantic kaiju that was fast swimming towards them. The same one he remembered killing.

The boy, knowing that this whole scene was nothing more than just a manifestation of his memories, continued to oversee how the event played out.

" _Time to to put you to sleep,_ " Lux heard the cognitive him speak as he aimed the mighty sword at the gigantic being.

'To think that I actually _killed_ that… It feels so surreal, yet here I am,' the lad thought to himself, watching as a powerful ray of energy shot forth from the sword, jetting forwards as it collided with the kaiju, causing a massive tremor that shook the world.

Lux felt himself almost pushed back, until he realised that none of this was actually happening, and as such, felt no wind. Pity, he thought, but at least he didn't fall.

The gaping hole that was left in its body was unquestioningly overkill, since more than half of that thing had been decimated by just that one attack. There was almost no blood to soak the sea, as everything had been vaporised by that destructive blast.

As the bluenette watch his cognitive self drop to the ground out of sheer exhaustion, the scenery drifted off into another world. This time, he returned to the pitch blackness, slowly turning into what seemed to be a wide room with mossy bricks for walls and a cold floor.

And sitting on a throne was a man who looked to be somewhere in his thirties, whereas the black dragon that sat somewhere near him could be described as the size of Mount Everest.

"Who are you?" The boy asked.

"…Ahh…" The man, finding himself rather taken aback by the presence of this boy, if his clearly surprised look indicated anything, coughed into his fist. "Well, let's see… I _suppose_ we should give you our names, but… Ahh, forgive us. We're unable to do so."

"Unable to?" Lux repeated, rather confused at the meaning. He would have asked them further, but decided to drop it. "In any case… I recognize your voice. You spoke to me in my head a couple of times, right?"

 **"Indeed, young one,"** the dragon spoke this time, raising his head so he could properly stare at the boy below. **"Fear not. I am not harmful. You have my word that we are your allies."**

"I'd rather believe you than that of a mad god's words," the boy nodded at the dragon. "But really… did you have to make me experience that painful headache? Two times, I tell you."

 **"We, uhhh… It was not that we weren't trying to prevent it, child. Believe us when we say so,"** the dragon gulped, his draconic lips arched into what seemed to be a frown. **"It's just… it was hard to establish a connection to you, since you hadn't awaken to your power."**

"My power, you say?" He asked once more.

"Indeed. You seemed to have acquired the Void Genome from a source you don't know, but we do..." He whispered that last part to himself, making sure the boy didn't hear him. "And it seems that you possess a capability of wielding it," the man on the throne hummed with a smile. "See, the 'Power of the King' does not necessarily choose anyone. Were that the case, this world would have been met with a war of kings."

"I can see the meaning behind your words. Chess is played with a king and his army. Were everyone on the board to just be kings, then there would be no end to the game…" Lux chuckled, sliding his hand through his hair. "Question. This power of mine… Can you help me understand it?"

 **"We cannot, boy,"** the dragon shook his head. **"We are merely watchers. We cannot interfere with worldly matters. Especially if it includes the 'Protagonists'…"** He added the last part in a used whisper that Lux couldn't catch.

"I see… No matter. Thank you nonetheless. Now, I'd like to return to the world of the living, if you'd be so kind," he requested.

"Well, of course. Allow me," and at that, the man waved his hand in a circling fashion, whipping mana to swirl as it trailed behind his hand.

*Krrr..!*

Immediately, a stone door popped out from the ground, opening to show nothing but light. It was bright, warm, and inviting.

 **"That should help you wake up. Just step on right through, keep walking, and you'll soon find yourself in where you once were,"** the dragon instructed, giving off a draconic grin. **"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Lux."**

"And the same to you," the boy nodded, walking through the door after saying his thanks to these two otherworldly beings.

*Click!*

The door closed after the boy stepped into it, before disappearing into smoke. Silence reigned once more in this dimension.

"I must say. It does indeed feel bad to keep the fact that he had met another 'Protagonist' such as himself from him, and that Young-ae had given him the power," the man sighed, returning to his cobble throne. A little chunk dropped out, flying towards where the door once was. "Dear friend… Do you think we should have told him?"

 **"You mean about his heritage? No. Were we to tell him,"** and the dragon snickered, staring somewhere off into space. There was a knowing look in his eye. **"Then the readers would surely be spared the suspense. Let it be kept hidden for now."**

"So… all shall be revealed when the time is right, huh?" The human chuckled, leaning into the throne a bit more. Thankfully, despite it being so old, it didn't do much to ache his body whatsoever. "Very well. I suppose we could wait a little longer. Time is a medicine to many, after all."

And they remained there, in this world, untouched by space and time.

* * *

Evening time

"Hwoaaah~!" The blue-haired boy yawned as he stretched his arms above his head, feeling a sore part of his shoulder crack and relax. 'Such a strange dream… What was that all about, anyways?' There was a fuzzy feeling in his head, but he couldn't remember much.

Arms returning to his sides, he noticed that it had been quite some time since he's been sleeping. Looking at the time, it was close to being eight. And it was a bit more time later did it come to his attention that there was no one else in the house. Maybe the girls went out? If so, then maybe they left him a message.

Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he noticed that there was nothing. Humming in confusion, he took a trip to the kitchen, checking inside. There was no sticky note on the fridge, nor was there any written paper anywhere.

'Strange… Mana never doesn't leave a message,' he thought, a dreadful feeling welling up in his stomach. And yet, he refused to believe such thoughts. There must have been something holding them back, right? "Argh… Okay, if they're not home, I'll just…"

He didn't know what to do.

There was nothing that needed to be bought, since he's already gotten everything they would need. He could go to school, but it wasn't like there was anything for him to do there. Plus, no one was allowed to be in school past its closing time.

Lily's piece? Ehh… That could wait, he told himself. For now, he was somewhat concerned where everyone else were.

"Well, not like I have anything better to do… Might as well go look for them in the meanwhile," he muttered, returning to his bedroom to get some good clothes.

After some time getting himself ready and stuff, he stood outside of his house in the same white jacket with the black dress-shirt and grey pants, with the blue tie as usual. He had made sure to wash it. A small bag was with him, with his phone, earphones and his book in it.

"Let's see… Maybe Kotori's phone is on?" He hummed to himself as he took his phone out, scanning for her location. He added the functionality a few years ago, in case she ever went missing. He did the same for Mana as well.

Without their permissions, of course. They'd kill him if they found out he was stalking them, although he would have rather used the word _supervise_.

*Bing!*

"Huh?" His lower jaw temporarily unhinged itself from the upper one as his eyes saw no signal from her phone. Gulping, he placed his phone back in his bag. "Okay, bad feeling, but never mind. I'll just have to go through with this."

Not doing anything won't bring his friends and sisters back to him, so he decided that he'd start at the city first.

Taking a train there didn't take too much time, since it was night time by now, which meant that there weren't much people to begin with. The world seemed brighter now, lit up by thousands of lights on the streets and buildings.

The crowd, while not as much as it would during the day, was still easy for anyone to get lost in. As the boy manoeuvred through the flow of people, strongly hoping that nothing bad happened to everyone else while he was asleep.

Damn it, he thought. He just had to doze off.

The night was still young, but time being patient for him to find everyone else was not an absolute, he thought. Anything could be happening.

Paranoia was something he strongly disbelieved, but put into a situation as the one he is currently in, he couldn't help but fear for the girls' safety. It felt as if there were some evil force behind this.

But the only thing that came to mind were those humanoid beings, which, he knew for a fact, were complete idiots. Those things swung their weapons without focus, like a mad cow wanting to crush a mantis. Their skill was awful, and their precision was even more worse. The only good thing about them was that they could probably take quite the number of hits.

'Damn it!' He scolded himself, running to the mall now. 'I don't have time for this! Maybe Gai knows something!'

Reaching the parking spot, he looked for the spot where the entrance to the Funeral Parlour's base.

Searching the area for quite a bit, he finally remembered that it was at the usual corner of the area, with a simple potted plant at the side.

"Alright, now what's the password?" He scratched his head in thought. "Darn, can't just say I'm Lux and hope I can—"

*Brr!*

The parking lot suddenly opened up, with the same set of stairs leading down to the base.

"Huh. Didn't think that would work," he blinked, stepping down the stairs as quickly as he could. Holding the railing at the side ensured that he wouldn't fall, unless he did a jump.

Entering the base, he noticed how everyone were typing onto their keyboards like typewriters. This must mean that they already knew of his sisters' and friends' disappearances.

"Lux!" Said boy turned around to the source of the voice, seeing the blond twins and Inori walking to them.

"Gai. Where are the others?" He asked, no longer wanting to play games. This was bad.

"We don't know… We can't pinpoint her current location, but we're trying our best to do so," the older twin answered. "Lux, can you wait here? We're still searching, and—"

"No," the lad shook his head, a serious look on his face. "I was asleep while they disappeared. I need to go find them."

"It isn't your fault that they disappeared," Kannazuki chimed in, looking sympathetic.

"Say that after I get them back," the lad clicked his tongue, before his expression softened slowly. He looked serious still, but managed to keep himself from looking dreadfully scary. "Tell me what to do. Anything will help."

"Hmm… Fine. We need you to go and scout the area, in case there are any abnormalities that need to be dealt with," Gai spoke, gesturing to the pink-haired girl beside him. "It's supposed to be Inori's task with a small group, but considering that you're a powerhouse, I see no reason to send just the two of you."

"Umm… Isn't that technically suicide?" The lad sweat-dropped.

"Which is why," the other blond cut in before his twin could reply. "We'll have an ally from the AST assist you. You know her fairly well, don't you?"

"Ahh… _Know_ her is an understatement…" He gulped.

* * *

Hours Later

The group of three—Lux, Origami and Inori—searched the area for a quite long time, yet they came upon nothing. There were no signs as to where the bluenette's siblings and Spirit friends had disappeared to.

The bad feeling he had in his gut earlier wouldn't leave him, no matter how hard he tried to think positively. He supposed there were times when nothing would work when there was nothing to confirm something he desperately hoped for.

It was… hard to describe. He wanted his sisters to be safe, but no matter how hard he tried to hope for it, his mind would find its way to return to pessimism.

"Lux," Inori's soft voice brought him out of his reverie. "What were you doing when everyone weren't in the house?"

"Oh. Well… I was tired, and went to sleep," he shrugged. "Kotori and Mana were supposed to be doing work still. Tohka, Yoshino and Yoshinon were around at the time. I told them that, if anything happened, they would just need to wake me up."

"And when you came to," Origami popped out from a tree, a blank look on her face as always. "They weren't there anymore?"

"No…" The lad shook his head, a grim expression. "I suppose it is my fault, since I was taking their safety for granted."

"How were you supposed to know that anything would have happened?" The pink-haired girl frowned. "It's not your fault."

"Again, tell me when we save them," he snickered, allowing a short smile to form. "Come on. The more time wasted, the longer it'll take for us to get them back."

Nodding mutely, the two girls lagged behind the boy as they took a short walk to the park where Lux took Tohka to. There, they were given a sight of the city. A beautiful view, no doubt. How everyone looked so tiny made them feel like giants.

And as he took a time to take it all in, he felt somewhat calm. Even so, he didn't dare let his guard down.

And it was times like this that trouble would come, of course.

 ***Fire Emblem: Awakening—Annihilation (Play Song)***

"Lux, watch out…" Origami's suddenly tense way of speech snapped the lad to attention, as he readied himself in a stance.

As if it were their cue, multiple men and women in cloaks revealed themselves from hiding, wielding a multitude of weapons. Large, black masks adorned their features, keeping their identities hidden. Dark red tattoos spiralled up their arms, and Lux could very tell that it was blood. Dried over the skin, remaining there as some sort of marking.

"Who the heck are you?" Lux's black crown had crystallised into fine purple. Ever as ready to summon [Sandalphon], he was. "You must be compatriots of the dastard I killed back then."

"You've a sharp eye, mind and body. But don't think you'll live long enough just yet," one of them scoffed. And acting in unison, all of them raised their arms towards the little group, madness kept under a façade of calm. "We have been tasked with ridding you, and we shall uphold our duty."

"A trying task, I tell you. Don't expect me to bow down and let you do whatever you so wish," the lad pulled out the gun from his body, aiming it straight at the side of his head. "You wanted to kill me, do you not? Then don't expect me to hold back."

*Bang!*

The lad pulled the trigger, feeling the bullet of energy rip through his head, dancing with his spiritual essence, forming a powerful blade in his left hand. With nary a warning, he drew the blade in a horizontal arc, letting loose a wave of energy that easily tore apart the enemy's ranks.

Several were obliterated into nothing, some were left with deep gashes across their bodies, and the remaining ones were slammed hard into the nearby objects, dying from the force.

 ***Fire Emblem: Awakening—Annihilation (End Song)***

"Well, that was rather unfortunate. I was hoping for some form of challenge…" The bluenette sighed, putting away the 'Angel'. He returned the gun into his body, the tingly feeling touching the sensitive joints of his spine. The purple crystals amidst his hair returned to its original black state. "No doubt. Those guys must be behind this."

"I agree. Come on. Maybe we could find them at this pace," the silverette's words were met with nods, but before they could even get anywhere—

*Kng!*

"Hmm?" Lux could feel his phone buzzing from within his bag, with a sound chirping, indicating that it received a notification. Taking it out, he turned it on to check on what it was, only to find an ominous-looking app on his phone. "The heck?"

"What is it?" Origami asked.

"I don't know… It's some app that I don't remember downloading. But the notification ring went off…" He stared at the app, wondering what it was. "Maybe… No, can't be."

"What is it?" She pushed him on.

"I'd like to try something for a bit," he told them, clicking on the app once. Doing so brought him to a screen with some gate in the centre. It had all the colours to form up a rainbow, beautifully shining. "Alright-y, then. My guess is, we're going to go somewhere once I click on this. All of you ready?"

"Yes," Inori nodded in response.

"I'm fine as well," Origami mirrored the other's girl's action.

"Okay. Let's get moving then," he grinned, tapping on the door—

*Wrroo~!*

"Eh?" He felt his vision being distorted, but there were no signs of headaches. Looking around him, it only made sense to say that the world around him was being distorted. Twisting and swivelling like rubber, as it contorted into new forms. "Get ready…"

* * *

?

 ***Persona 5—Mementos (Play Song)***

"Hmm…" Lux eyed his surroundings, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. And yet, no matter how hard he tried… "My brain isn't at the level to interpret such complicated data."

The world looked like it had seen hell, indicated by how dead it turned out to be. There were no trees as before, but rather, he stood atop a desolate cliffside, overlooking a crumbling city with no sign of life.

"What I can see, is that the world is completely screwed. What I _don't_ see, is how this is remotely possible…" He scratched the side of his head, his question put behind for now. "No matter. Come on. There must be something here."

"Yeah, let's go," the girls gave their responses, following after the boy as he runs off to the town.

It took the effort to get there, considering that the terrain was close to uncrossable. Fortunately, the map application in the phone seemed to have adapted to this new world, so to show the proper landscapes. With that, there wasn't too much difficulty reaching the city.

But as much as he found it strange to ponder on, this new world must have been the creation of some twisted creativity. He wouldn't dare blame it on some sentient being, so it must be because of man? Almost everything that happens is because of man.

Finally arriving at their designated location, Tengū City, or a distorted version of it, they had seen no indication of anything ever being there before them. However…

"Hide..!" Lux whispered loudly, pushing their bodies backwards so that their figures were blocked by the building. He hid behind a car, peering his head over the broken transportation.

Off in the distance, standing alone amidst the towering scrapers of sky, the same humanoid-creatures the boy had slew before was twisting its head to look at its surroundings, completely unaware of the presence of three other humans.

Still behind the rusted automobile, Lux silently pulled out the gun from inside his body, aiming it at the side of his head. With a silent click—

*Bang…*

The sword formed in his left hand, ready to cut down its wielder's enemy.

In a mere instance, he pivoted over the car, silent as his feet carried him towards the being. In one fell swoop, he removed its upper torso from its bottom half, leaving it completely cleaved apart as it dissipated into smoke and matter.

"Done easier than said," he smiled, keeping the weapon.

"You intend to keep it?" Origami asked.

"Indeed. I don't intend to let down my guard when there could be one hiding just around the corner, after all," he nodded, before resting the tip of the blade against the earth. "And Origami, you should equip yourself with your battle suit already. While I do hope that I can protect all of you on my own, wouldn't it be better if you can defend yourself in a case I am not nearby to assist you?"

"Hmm… You are right. Very well," she nodded, pulling out a small chip from her pocket. She placed it on some device on her ear, before the item shaped itself around her body, wrapping her with reinforced metal. Featherlight, but powerful. "I am done."

"And Inori? Do you have yourself a weapon to use?" He asked next, looking at the dancer-dressed girl. He felt that she was practically a walking dummy. Err, glass dummy, that is.

"Oh. I… Huh," she tilted her head, a thoughtful look on her face. "I… forgot," her face shifted to that of an apologetic one. "Sorry…"

"No matter. It only means I'll have to work harder then," he smiled, picking himself up and holding his blade firmly. "Come on. I'd rather not stay in a position that leaves us vulnerable."

Resuming their travelling once more, they came upon a towering building that looked as if it were being used as a form of a prison. In actuality, it looked just like a dead skyscraper, but he got that feeling in his gut.

One must trust their guts, after all.

Stepping into it, it was like any other office department. This one, however, had seen it's days, with broken glass scattered on the floor in random places, cracked walls and moss beginning to form just about anywhere.

Everywhere he looked, there was the feeling that whatever was here before had been brutally murdered. There was no blood splattered on the walls or the like, nor was there the smell of decaying flesh, but given how eery the interiors of the building was, he felt his trepidation spike.

The elevators of this world were unfortunately broken, so they used the next best thing.

"Stairs. An invention that existed long before Mesopotamia stood wide and tall, and modernised ever since to fit our needs," he spoke to no one particularly, beginning to walk up it. "Come on, girls. Let's see if there's anything here that may give us a hint or something."

How different he acted, spoke and look. Both sides of him were charming, no doubt, and they couldn't help but trust him.

And as such, the group of three climbed the stairs until they reached the thirteenth floor.

There wasn't much to give them anything. Almost anything that would have been useful was now left in the dust, broken by an unknown force. Possibly the warping of reality, Lux thought. Of how this world seemed to be part of his own, yet completely different.

Maybe it was distorted due to one's desires? Or was this an entirely new world? If so, it looked awfully similar to his own, he noted.

*Click!*

"Hmm?" Looking down, he only noticed now that he had just stepped a loose tile. He pulled himself away, ready to just turn and leave—

*Crack!* *Bam!*

"Huh?" The lad blinked, realising that the floor was falling! That didn't make sense whatsoever. "What?! Damn Ah, shoot!"

*Krrr!*

"Lux!" Origami called, readying herself as black mud oozed from the ground. "It's more of them!"

"Damn it! We don't have time for this! We need to leave!" He desperately wanted to get this over with. Any needless distractions were unwelcome.

The creatures stood tall once more, this time holding swords and maces, not just large axes. Groaning, they rushed the group of three, all of which were cut down by Lux's sword.

Origami ducked to dodge an attack, watching as her fellow teammate deliver a painful slash across the body, cleaving him in half. The silverette did her part as well, sending foes into the walls with punches and kicks. The armour seemed to bolster her physical strength, he noted.

*Bam!*

The tremor only intensified, as the walls dropped to the earth below. And trust me when I say it would be a _very_ long drop down.

"No!" Realising that it would be too late, he took ahold of his friends' wrists, tossing them out through a crater in the wall and flying straight into another building. He grinned, knowing that they'd be safe, at least.

*Crash!*

The boy fell, down and deep into the endless abyss.

 ***Persona 5—Mementos (End Song)***

* * *

Meanwhile

It happened all too fast.

Creatures spawned literally out of nowhere, engaging them in combat. Of course, it was a simple matter, since Origami herself was a trained fighter, and that Lux weld a weapon of a Spirit. Though Inori wouldn't be able to hold herself in battle, considering that she had no weapon on hand, she was still agile enough to avoid the blunt edges of their axes.

And yet, no matter how hard they tried to interpret what had just happened, there was a mild confusion at this point.

He had somehow managed to catch both of them, and sent them flying towards the adjacent building. The precision he had of sending them directly there safely was just an awe of its own.

"Hyaah..!" The girls screamed as their body made contact with the ground, painful touches upon their skin from the hard contact. And yet, they rushed forwards to the open hole in the building's wall, watching as their friend drop down below. "Lux!"

He disappeared down the crater, leaving a feeling of trepidation in their stomachs.

And yet, they didn't give up just yet. They could meet up with him later. They'll just have to survive, long enough to reunite with him later. He'll be safe, they just know it.

* * *

Lux's situation was a lot more painful than he had expected.

*Kh-chunk!*

"Gah!" The lad spat as he broke out from the pile of rubble, the feeling of dust lingering on his tastebuds. "Damn! Tastes like flour at times…"

He left the rubble, [Sandalphon] long gone. His hair returned to its original blue and black state. Thankfully, there were no injuries on him, though his body did feel sore. Other than that, he was fine.

"Jeez… Origami and Inori better not die at the end of this…" He so desperately didn't want that. He wanted them to be safe. "Crud! Never mind. I just need to keep going forwards. Well…" He looked around him, knowing that he was several feet below ground, and he was surrounded by walls. "Wherever _forwards_ is…"

He checked the walls, trying to feel if he could break it down and move past it. And just as he expected, a part of the wall that was to the left of him had a simple hole in it. Peeking through it, there seemed to be a tunnel of sorts.

"Better than nothing, I suppose," he shrugged, pulling out the gun from inside of him before shooting himself. Producing [Sandalphon], he cut down the wall with one simple stroke, keeping it in his hand in case he were to be attacked.

Breaking into a run, his footsteps resounded in the tunnel of earth and stone. Some patches of the dirt was wet, and smelled of manure, for some odd reason. The tunnel itself was wide, enough for a car carrier trailers to pass through.

It was quite the time of running, but reaching the end of the tunnel, it seemed that he was no longer underground. In fact, where he was now, it looked like a hotel lobby.

'I don't remember there being a hotel here before… Had I missed it?' Thinking hard on it, no conclusion came to mind. Taking a step forwards, he immediately lowered himself to a crouching position, keeping his back attached to a nearby pillar.

"…prisoners aren't going out!" An honest-to-goodness human's voice this time. And yet, Lux could make out a trace of hostility in his words. "Jeez. Just calm down."

"Calm down?! Are you mad?! Those kids have these weird superpowers, and it took our whole squad just to capture them!" Another voice yelled, sounding terrified.

"As I've said, it's fine. We've got them all locked up. It won't be anytime soon that they'll be walking with their heads on their shoulders now," the first voice snickered.

Lux, having heard enough, jumped from behind the pillar, moving in a blurry motion to the naked eye. Too late, the figures were both obliterated by a powerful attack, leaving them a bloody mess.

"…You've kept others under containment, hmm?" He hummed as he eyed the dead bodies. Again, it was those cloaked men. "An enemy of my enemy is my ally. Fitting, no?"

Not even waiting for their response—they wouldn't even be capable of saying anything in the first place anyways—he made his way down a corridor, stretched long and far. There were multiple turns, but he managed to come across a heavily reinforced valve. This was the type one could see at the bank.

A hotel with a valve? Must be expensive then.

Not wasting a moment, he did a cross slash, before drawing an arc of energy across it, sending it flying back, crushed under the force of the attack.

And as he got into the room, his eyes widened.

"It's you guys!" He gasped.

* * *

"Tch. To think that they're so stubborn…" A gigantic man with a chiselled body and a rough beard scoffed, glancing past his shoulder to see four girls attached to the wall by shackles.

"It seems so, sir," a robed woman nodded. "We had tried multiple times to extract their 'Angels', but none of our efforts have bore any fruit, unfortunately."

"Hmph. How pathetic... To think that they still hold on to some _hope_. How utterly disgusting…" He hissed through his gritted teeth, making his way towards a door to his left. "Ensure that they do not escape. The experiment must go on."

"As you wish it, sir," the woman nodded once more.

* * *

"Man… Didn't expect to see you guys here, of all places," Lux scratched his head, a surprised look on his face.

After breaking into the valve room, he met two boys whom he recognised, and another he didn't. One from the music shop, with his glasses and frizzy hair, another at the streets, possessing blue hair and a set of earphones, and this boy with silver hair.

Apparently, they revealed themselves to be fighting the same enemy Lux was facing, until they got caught and taken captive, stuck here ever since. That is, until the blunette came to save them.

"Yeah…" The other bluenette nodded slowly. "Then tell us, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here to save my sisters and friends," the lad answered. "They've been taken by this shady group, so I came here to get them back."

"Let me guess. It's those duded with the robes and the like?" The silver-haired boy asked next, earning a nod. "I see. We came here to deal with them, actually."

"Really? Huh. Well, that's rather fortunate. We could as well be helping each other out, eh?" Lux chuckled, a matching look of joy on everyone else's faces. "Oh yeah, we haven't even introduced ourselves. The name's Lux von' Halcyon."

"Makoto Yuki here," the other blue-haired boy with the headphones hanging around his neck introduced himself next, soft grin.

"Yu Narukami. Good to meet you," the boy with the silver hair spoke next, the tallest out of everyone else here, just by an extra five centimetres, probably.

"Ren Amamiya," the only one wearing glasses flashed a smile, sweeping off the dust from his pants as he and everyone else stood.

"Alright-y then. Let's get going, you guys," and the four, having to have become friends at such a fast rate, left the room.

* * *

An Hour Later

The boys wasted no time leaving the building, encountering no more of the robed men. While finding it suspicious, they took it as a good sign, wanting to help Lux find his family and get out of wherever this place was.

This world felt surreal, wacky in standard terms. They weren't able to let their guards down in this world. Not now. Not until they get back.

Traversing around this place was surprisingly easier than they had thought it to be. The terrain was that of any normal city, but of course, it was dirty. As expected of a broken city.

"So, you guys have been working together without joining Ratatosrk or Funeral Parlour?" The bluenette asked, avoiding a loose tile.

That was... quite impressive, to be honest. To be defending the city from monsters on their own, without the backing of large organisations, was truly deserving of respect. Lux himself was constantly getting help from the others, after all. Even taking care of the monsters, he would be teaming up with Inori and Origami before this.

"Yeah. Plus, we didn't know there was such a thing before," Yu shrugged. "And you?"

"Uurgh… Don't even ask," he rolled his eyes.

"It shouldn't be too bad, right?" Ren asked back.

"Putting yourself in my shoes means discovering that your sister is a leader of the first organisation that I mentioned," his answer had everyone else's jaws dropping agape. "Yeah, I know. Shocking. Even I thought I was mad at first when I heard her."

The group momentarily stopped as the sound of heavy footsteps, similar to that of a parading crowd, resounded from a distance. Hiding behind a broken barricade, they peeked over it.

There were tens of robed men, conversing about something. While they were too far to hear, Lux could make out some bits, such as how there were a group of girls being kept up at the tallest floor of a building. Just from that alone told Lux that whoever they were talking about must have been his family.

It triggered his brotherly senses, and he was ready to go in, guns ablaze, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't even think about it," Makoto's voice was stern, but concerned. "You'll get slaughtered."

"Argh… Then what do you suggest?" The other bluenette was impatient.

"We need to first identify the location of where they're being kept captive at," Yu spoke next. Now, all of them were crouching in a circle. "They just said tower, and as you can obviously tell…"

The four boys looked around them.

"There's a bit _too many_ towers…" Lux sweat-dropped, a nervous chuckle from everyone else. "Okay then. If I was the mastermind behind the kidnapping of a student's family, where would be the most suitable place for me to use as a containment area?"

All of them looked around them, knowing that just observing would do little to no good. Still, it was better than nothing, they supposed.

What felt like a pointless idea proved to be useful, as Lux caught notice of a tower a few clicks away, with a pillar of light protruding to the skies.

"Maybe that's our best bet," he muttered, everyone else nodding in response.

And the group of four made their way to the 'tower'.

* * *

In truth, it looked similar to the KL Tower. Reaching a height of 1400 feet in total, from ground level to the spire—technically 1377.95 feet if using Google converter, but just for your sakes, I'll round it off to two significant figures—it was considered to be the world's seventh tallest tower, and the tallest in South East Asia.

But the only large difference was that this world's version of the tower was crumbling, with visible signs of what seemed to look like veins creeping up the tall building. They were pulsing with red light, looking alive. In fact, it was a type of plant, it seemed, indicated by how it smelt of faint perfume. A sickly perfume, that is. And there was the light projecting out from it too.

Arriving at the foot of the tower, they noticed that a single elevator was still functional.

"Thank God… Guess we don't have to use the stairs," Lux laughed in relief, brushing his hand through his blue-black hair with a thankful smile. He was not physically and mentally prepared to climb such a tower. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

Stepping into the working elevator, the contraption lifted them off ground level and upwards, off to an unfathomable place. Who knows how it could be up there.

Lux was unsure whether the real KL tower acted this way as well. Whether there was a single elevator that carried its visitors to the head of the tower, but he supposed it was fine since this was merely a poor imitation of the world.

After some time, they finally reached a wide space. It was a simple room, with dulled glass that disabled light to pass through. The tiles were shattered, and no plants in the pots nearby lived as green as they were supposed to be. There was an unlit chandelier above them, and the sounds of faint breathing much farther up.

"Your sisters and friends must be up there," Yu offered. "But let's not be too hasty now."

"True. Could be an ambush," Ren nodded in understanding.

"No need," the bluenette's words snapped their heads towards him, a look of bewilderment on all of their faces. "They probably know that we're here. Let's not waste their time any longer."

The other three shared a look of wondering, but they complied to the boy's request, trailing right behind him.

There was a balcony up front, giving a bird's-eye view to the city below. A beautiful sight were this in the normal world, everyone thought. Close by, there was a short flight of stairs that lead them to the balcony. The light that they saw earlier was there as well.

Going up, the light died down, as if it feared their presence. Or, worser yet, to provide a view to a shocking sight.

There seemed to have been some form of wall erected in the centre of this wide space, four girls had been shackled to it with chains that looked to be glowing. And of course, the first to react was—

"What. The. F**k?!" Lux cursed as his eyes bulged widely, horror and fear written all over his facial expression as he looked at them. Their clothes were left tattered, and the soft bruises that dressed their skin was clear to the naked eye. Anger burned inside of him, making him want to kill whoever did this to them.

"I didn't think that you'd be here so early…" A man's voice resounded from behind the wall. He revealed himself a moment later.

He was a large man with a grey and a body described to be that of a bodybuilder's. He wore an open grey best with a red sash at the hips, and black boots. A strange sense of fashion, but his nonetheless.

"What the hell did you do them?" The lad hissed through gritted teeth, hands clenching and unclenching. He _sooo_ wanted to drive his sword through that face of his.

"I was trying to extract the girls' 'Angel'," he shrugged. "Though, it seems that my test hasn't proved to be successful."

"That's because my sisters aren't even Spirits!" He roared this time, pulling out the gun from inside of him. The three boys' behind him were taken aback with the display. "You let them go right now, or so help me—"

"You will kill me? Tsk. I have no need for any unnecessary thorns in my side," he spat, turning around. "Capture them."

At his command, more of the robed figures surrounded the four boys, wielding blades. Cursing out loud, Lux shot himself in the head. [Sandalphon] materialised in his left hand.

He didn't speak a word, but the deathly look in his eye was enough to instil fear in his enemies' hearts.

"You intruded our lives, took my family away from me, and dare to harm them. Forgive me, but I doubt I can let you go," and he brandished his sword in their way, blue eye flaring with determination. "I shall exact justice upon you. Do not shy away from it."

"Hang up," the bluenette turned around, meeting grins on his friends' exteriors. "You don't intend to do this alone, do you?"

"Well, I recall you stating that you came here to deal with the trouble before us right now, but you haven't told me of your abilities just yet," the lad relaxed slightly, the enemies closing in on them.

"And we'll show you," Makoto pulled out a black gun from a holster clipped to his belt. "If you're going in, then expect us to be fighting with you."

"And I expect something amazing," the lad grinned.

The enemy had them surrounded, but the boys held onto a steady courage. Backing up into each other's backs, all of them had a look of readiness. There was no sign of fear on anyone's faces.

"So," Lux began. "What sort of ability do you possess?"

"Wouldn't it be better if we just showed you?" Yu snickered.

"It's only fitting, no? We had no idea of what you were capable of just recently as well," Ren smiled next.

"True that. It wouldn't be fair if we had to tell you," Makoto chuckled.

"Well, I suppose a flamboyant display of power isn't all that unnecessary," the lad nodded. "Very well then. Let's make due with them."

And there was a loud battlecry from the four lads.

 ***Final Fantasy XII: Lightning Returns—Crimson Blitz (Play Song)***

*Prrhaaa!*

"What the?!" The man from earlier jumped back at the sheer intensity that bloomed from where the four boys stood. Grunting as he whipped his arm to block the painfully striking light, it took too long for it to die down. And when it finally did so, now, there was no longer just four boys.

Towering above three of them, the bluenette with the headphones, the silverette and the one with the glasses, now stood powerful-looking beings.

"Amazing…" Lux whispered in awe as he stared at the shadow-like beings that towered over his friends.

Standing above Yu, who was now wearing grey shades, was a large being wearing some form of jacket and possessing an iron mask. With a large blade in its right hand, its silver-haired master weld a katana in his own.

Makoto seemed to be the same, except he had summoned his own shadow by shooting himself in the head with the gun from earlier, just like how Lux spawned Tohka's 'Angel'. This being looked a bit more human than Yu's, with silver-white hair, red eyes and a harp on its back.

Ren looked the most different out of everyone else, considering the fact that his clothes had completely been replaced with that of some butler's, wearing a mask to add to the mysterious effect. Behind him, a gentleman-looking shadow with black wings, a red suit and chains.

Only after he had finally gotten over the fact that he had been staring at them for a solid minute did he realise that, in his excitement to defeat the bastards before him, he had accidentally set his phone to play a track Lily made.

No matter. It added to the mood.

"Well then, this will certainly make things much more interesting," he grinned, returning his attention to the battle once more. "Alright! Let's go!"

"Right!" The other three males responded with equal vigour, as all of them rushed the enemy.

Lux kicked it off first, slicing apart a large amount of enemies with [Sandalphon]. The arc of energy obliterated everyone in its path, leaving no life in its fading.

He turned around to see how everyone else were faring, and he was happy to say that they were doing plenty well.

"Arsene! Ravage them!" Ren's commandment was heeded well, as the shadow spawned spires of black matter to protrude from the ground, penetrating many of his foes. He jumped back, with this Arsene dissipating into him, as he attacked them with his knife.

"Don't even think about it!" Yu's shout had scared a few, giving him ample time to slash them apart with his katana. The shadow followed its master's attack with its own, lunging forwards and massacring any those that were close enough.

Lux stopped staring, noticing that a horde of them were running towards him with swords in hand, but they were stopped short—

*Boom!*

"Whoa!" The lad jumped back as a massive orb of fire dropped upon them, incinerating them with hardly any difficulties. Turning around, he realised it was Makoto, who commanded his own shadow to blast them apart. "Thank you!"

"No problem," Makoto spoke back before cutting down an enemy with his sword, dealing a multitude of cuts on the enemies. He backpedalled to avoid even more attacks, summoning the creature again and wrapping them in a haze of flames.

Feeling that he was starting to lag behind everyone else, Lux focused on his own part as well, dealing obstruction everywhere around him. He didn't intend to lose to his new friends.

His sword swings released blasts of energy, slashes left his enemies completely disfigured, and he had his friends to back him up. They were doing very well, it seemed.

"Yu! Go for it!" Ren shouted as he high-fived the silverette, who parried a robed man's sword, before returning the attack with his own slash, leaving him bleeding.

"Orpheus! Take them out!" The other bluenette yelled, his shadow playing a beautiful tune on its harp that produced torrents of fire, wrapping a new wave of enemies. "There's more to come!"

"No problem!" Yu snickered, going forwards and cleaving apart enemy after enemy, giving no mercy. "Izanagi!" The shadow formed above him once more, easily slicing apart the horde like paper.

Ren too had no trouble in close-quarters, easily deflecting attacks and finishing off the foes. He was dancing, avoiding the deadly end of a dagger and putting his own dagger through their throats.

"Everyone, back away!" He yelled. At that, they made way for the bluenette with the large sword, as he aimed [Sandalphon] at a large crowd of enemies. "Hraagh!"

*Boom!*

And with one final shot, a living definition of the word 'destructive', the laser beam shattered buildings beyond the one they stood atop, and with that much force, it vaporised every last enemy that once breathed.

Finally, it was over.

 ***Final Fantasy XII: Lightning Returns—Crimson Blitz (End Song)***

The song finally clicked, signalling its end. Lux sighed, facing the remaining obstacle. The man himself.

"H-How… What?" He was left out of breaths, unsure of what to say.

"You need not understand the situation at hand," the boy with crystallised purple hair shook his head, walking towards him with a cross look. Ren, Makoto and Yu trailed right behind him. "Only know that you will pay for your crimes, just as the ones you have dragged into your work."

"D-Don't think that you will get me so easily!" He yelled in a fit of fear, ready to turn and run, until Lux shot forth a blast of energy, missing him by a hair's length.

"I expect you not to run away like a coward," he sighed, closing in on the stranger. He tipped the end of his sword against the older one's throat, leaving a cold stinging sensation on the skin. "I will allow you last words. Do you have anything left to say?"

"I-I…" He shut down there and then, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Then sleep peacefully," a small part of his mind denied such peace, but it mattered not. Bringing up the sword—

*Shing!*

In one fell swoop, the man before him dropped to the ground, blood noticeably pooling below.

*Khh…*

"Whoo… That was tiring," the boy blinked, staring at the body. His face contorted into a look of seriousness. "Rot in Hell, for all I care."

Done with that, he returned to the main reason he came here in the first place.

Going back to the supposed wall in the centre, he helped each girl out, with Makoto's shadow—Orpheus, if he remembered right—capable of healing them. Any evidence of physical torture had been eradicated, and they looked as fine as ever.

They got down and dirty, doing work as they ensured that the girls were fine. They looked worse for wear, but would make it through, alive. Lux made a silent prayer to God just as then.

*Tk! Tk! Tk!*

Fast footsteps up the stairs, after minutes had passed.

He would have wanted nothing more than to not have anything to do, but if push comes to shove, no one would mind if he tore them apart, right?

But the moment he got a good look on their faces, he knew instantly that it would have been a really bad idea to kill them. Simply said…

"Inori! Origami!" He cried out, waving in the air to call them over. They saw him, rushing over to his location. "Where have you two been?!"

"We were being attacked by those humanoid-creatures you've faced before everywhere we go," the pink-haired girl answered, slightly panting. "We wanted to get to you quicker, but with so many of them blocking our path, we didn't expect us to be any earlier than we are now."

"I see… Well, no matter. You're here now, and that's good enough for me…" While his statement may have sounded rather bland, his heart truly felt at ease, knowing that he hadn't lost anyone.

"Oh yeah. Lux?" Origami called.

"Hmm? What's up?" He tilted his head in response.

"Why," and her voice dropped to a monotonous tone as she pointed at the _person_ close to him. "Is she there?"

He looked down, only to be met with the cute sleeping figure of Yoshino, who had been put out cold, similar to everyone else. He supposed he was only holding her like this, with her head resting on his lap, just so she wouldn't have to lie on the floor.

"Reasons," he put it simply. "I mean, would you let a friend of yours who, for some reason, was knocked unconscious to sleep on the cold, hard floor?"

"Hmm… I suppose not," she sighed, disappointed that she wasn't there in the girl's shoes now.

"Nngh…" Faint moans from down below snapped everyone's heads towards the source of the voice, only to see that the blue-haired girl was beginning to wake up. Slowly, her bright blue orbs fluttered open, staring back into the mismatching eyes of her friend's as she lifted herself slightly up. "H-Haaa..?"

"Morning, sleepyhead," he chuckled, gently rubbing her hair. "Feeling anything? A migraine? Broken leg, perhaps?"

"N-No…" She shook her head softly, still clearly exhausted. Easing her head to the side, she noticed everyone else lying on a makeshift bed—thankfully, Lux had enough experience camping out in the wild to make a bed from a bunch of miscellaneous objects around him. "Y-You saved us…"

"Not alone," he smiled, gesturing to the boys behind him. "I met some friends along the way."

Makoto, Yu and Ren smiled, waving back at her. The girl eyed them for a bit longer, before returning her gaze to her friend.

Someone who had braved such a dangerous world and overcame obstacles, just to rescue her and everyone else.

In a motion that was far too quick for someone who was supposedly tired, she pulled him towards her by the sides of his torso.

And in an even faster motion, her lips was his.


	7. Chapter 6

"Did we not, though?" - Speech

'We met before…' - Thoughts

 _"You don't know him."_ \- Flashback / Emphasis

*Vrr!* *Pow!*- Sound effects

* * *

{] Chapter 6: Siblings from Another World? [}

Ever since the incident had been dealt with, everyone had returned to the world of the living, soon coming to dub the enigmatic dimension as the 'Ruin', a land only accessible with the assistance of the strange eye-looking app that only the four boys—Lux, Ren, Makoto and Yu—possessed in their phones.

There hadn't been much discoveries made on the dimension, considering that it was impossible to do research on it since they couldn't even tap into it. As such, they decided to put it behind.

Now, the good part was that everyone had been saved, and Ratatoskr and Funeral Parlour recognised the three [Persona] wielders—the very same shadows Lux had seen his friends summoning from inside of them—as allies, thus offering them a chance to join their organisations. The denied, stating that they'd rather fight as a small little group with Lux as their leader, rather than be a part of such a big picture.

And as such, Lux became leader to the 'Sins of Fate', a name he only got after jumbling up all the words in his mind.

Life was relatively steady ever since. The boys lived together under a single house, renovated to hold more people now. Apparently, it had a second 'wing' now, connected to another building via a a glass bridge. It had five floors, with many rooms in case there were going to be more people moving in from now on.

And things were amazing. There wasn't much chaos, and Lux couldn't help but feel as if being in the kitchen as of currently was relaxing. Steaming a large trout fresh from the market, serving it to the table, with help from his sisters, Yoshinon, Ren, and setting up the —

Wait, back up a bit.

"Neh, neh, Lux! Where do you want this to go?" Yoshinon yelled as she held a bowl with boiling soup, muffs wrapped around the hands to keep them from being burnt.

"Just place it on the table with everything else. And please be careful. Mopping it all up is one thing, but picking up the shards will be another…" He warned, busy with something else.

"Okay!" The girl chirped back, rushing to the table with said item in her hands.

Now, I get what you're thinking. How in the world is Yoshinon, a supposed puppet, walking around and even carrying an object, when she is physically unable to. So, as our favourite Youtubers always say, 'Let's talk about that'.

* * *

Flashback

 _He didn't know whether to feel shocked, appreciated, or both. In fact, he didn't know whether he could feel anything at all in that moment._

 _Just how soft the girl's lips were had his senses bursting in excitement, and the way that acted in a smooth yet naïve fashion, as if it were trying to worship his lips, had sent him on a cloud nine._

 _But the most unthinkable happen. One that was supposedly defying the very fabrics of logic, and would have made for a very shocking twist in fiction._

 _*Khh!*_

 _Of course, similar to how he sealed Tohka in the first place, light engulfed the Spirit, causing everyone to block their eyes from such intensity._

 _Key difference here, however…_

 _*Poof!*_

 _"Woo hoo!" Was how, once the light finally died down, Lux was forced to the ground with, get this… Not just one girl on his body, but two!_

 _With Yoshino, naked as the day she was born, with her sky-blue hair flowing down from her head. And now, added with a new girl, with light silver hair and eyes similar to the former's, yet possessing orbs that were typically narrower and red in colour, there seemed to be a huge commotion right after._

 _"Ehh?" The boy, unsure of what had just transpired, remained sitting on the ground, face-to-face with a blushing Yoshino and a—_

 _"Hi hi!" The white-haired girl giggled in a familiar tone._

* * *

'To think… that kissing Yoshino somehow activated a catalyst in her… allowing Yoshinon to take form…' No matter how many times the lad repeated the sentence in his mind, still, he could not find himself comprehending it.

When Ratatoskr's research group took the two girls in, they found no visible explanation as to how such a thing had just occurred. They could either call it a miracle, or believe in the theory Ren had came up with, which was the most logical one out of everything else that had been offered to the table.

But to Lux, he was just thankful that he wouldn't have to refer to Yoshinon as some puppet anymore. With the official papers written and detailed, they decided that both she and Yoshino would be considered as twin sisters, which wouldn't be too far off, considering how alike they looked.

The girl possessed genetics that were clear cut from Yoshino, though there had been several alternations to them. She was far more exuberant than her younger twin—they decided that the ex-puppet would be the older sibling considering that she was the more confident one—and had a tendency to do crazy things befitting of a daredevil.

Even so, Lux found this rather enjoyable, finding life even more fun.

In any case, as the large family enjoyed dinner, served by none other than our protagonist here, the lad was busy tending to the flowers outside of the house, listening to the songs of the sky.

He had long dealt with the food on his own plate, and, deciding that he better things to do than just sit around in the house, he busied himself with house chores.

"A peaceful night, no storm is going to come," he looked up to the sky, taking notice of the lack of clouds. "Well, at least nothing more earth-shattering, in my case, could ever happen."

Yes, Lux. Keep thinking that way.

As he watered the roses, their smell only growing fresher with each passing day, the lad couldn't help but begin to wonder how things would go from here on out. Only stranger things came to mind, though.

He met a bunch of similarly-aged teenagers who possess the capability of materialising their inner selfs, somehow activated a process that allowed Yoshinon to turn into a Spirit of her own—though the tests that they have conducted indicated that both she and her sister share their 'Angel'—and a world literally none of them knew about.

Yay…

"Lux!" Said boy broke out of his reverie, turning himself around, coming face-to-face with his first Spirit lover. "There you are! Slipped away again, huh?"

"Meh. Couldn't help myself," he shrugged. "So hey, how has… things been going on?"

"Good!" She answered back, with more visible energy than he did. "I mean, I get to live with you, so that's amazing on its own. Plus, everyone else is so nice too. And what you make is so delicious! I doubt I could ever get used to not eating what you make."

"Hey, who knows? Someday, there'll be someone out there who'll surpass me in the arts of cooking," he chuckled, leaning against the metal gates of the house as he levelled his gaze to the sky. "Tohka, you should go in. I'm staying here to water the plants."

"Huh? You sure you don't want any company?" She asked, ever the innocent girl she is.

"Mmhm. I'll be fine," the lad nodded with a reassuring smile, gesturing to the house. "Go on in. I'll be in a moment later."

"Mmm… Fine. But don't stay out too late!" The Spirit waved at him before disappearing back into the house.

And as the boy stood close to the pots of flowers, watching as the girl go back into his humble abode, footsteps resounding in the clear night, he could hear the whispers of the flowers. For now, he supposed it was fine to stay a little bit longer. The stars would wait for him, after all.

* * *

A Few Days Later

Returning to school was an ordinary thing, wasn't it? Well, it would have, had there been no news of even more students transferring into your school.

The class had underwent a soft change. Tables and chairs had been positioned so to be three rows of a table, with on at the left, centre and right. Three rows that filled up to the back, with approximately twenty-seven, just as this class was.

Lux took a seat at the farthest back, telling the girls to just sit on the row in front of him. They did so, turning around to speak to him.

"You say that your friends are transferring here, right?" Origami's question was met with a solid nod from the boy. "I see… And they were the ones that helped you in the 'Ruin', right?"

"Indeed. I swear, had I not met them at all, I would have never been able to save you girls," he smiled at the memory. "The powers they possess are more than what I can say is special. I've never seen anyone possess the capability to summon such a creature before, let alone three people at once."

Just as his power to wield a Spirit's 'Angel' by shooting himself in the head with his own 'Void', he soon learned that it was the exact same method Makoto used to summon his own [Persona]. The bluenette—or should I say, _bluenettes_ , both found it interesting, as the two of them shared a trait so wholly similar, yet devoted to a different weapon. It piqued everyone's curiosity, but they decided that it was unnecessary to research.

As long as they weld their powers properly, and that they would use it to defend mankind, then there was no need to do tests on them.

*Creak!*

And as the group of four's conversation was cut short, the classroom—mostly that of the female side—voiced out their awes and surprised when they saw three handsome boys step into the room.

'Ren,' the lad thought as his gaze drifted to the curly-haired teenager. 'Makoto,' he met the bluenette's gaze for a short moment. 'And Yu,' the tallest one was hard to miss.

"Well, everyone, they will be your classmates starting from today onwards!" Ms. Okamine raised her voice as she looked to everyone in the class. "So, if you boys could take your seats?"

"Mmm," all three of them nodded in perfect unison, walking to the back until they saw Lux, who was waving at them. Returning the gesture, they took their seats with him, with the bluenette deciding to join another table to the row, making it four now.

"Well, guys, welcome to our classroom," he snickered.

* * *

Recess rolled in relatively quick, since most of the time in class had been spent with everyone trying to speak with their new classmates.

Though willing to engage in friendly conversations with everyone else, the three boys had instead been hanging out with Lux, as well as his friends. They found it amazing how he managed to gain the attention of the opposite sex, practically three, whilst the other boys in the class remained single as ever.

For some reason, Tonomachi took the heaviest blow out of everyone else, stating how it damaged his pride as a man. Lux, on the other hand, just told the rest to just ignore him, calling it his usual antics.

"So, you're saying that you've been fighting these humanoid-like monsters?" Makoto asked, taking off his earphones after catching whiff of their conversation. It piqued his interest.

"Indeed. A real pain in the side, if you tell me…" The other bluenette sighed, feeding himself a roll of sushi. Munching it softly, he resumed talking after he swallowed. "I am no staunch king to his queen, but when they came knocking, somebody had to do something."

"I can see what you mean," Ren nodded. "And is it difficult? Fighting them, I mean."

"Not really. In a game of chess, they're like any other typical pawn. Easy to beat, unless you get ambushed by a horde of em', really," he shrugged, setting aside his chopsticks. "All they do is swing their axes like madmen, so with your powers, you'd be able to take them down quite easily."

"We don't know about that," Yu shook his head.

"Yu, think about it. The three of you are basically able to summon [Personas] that can easily wield elements as a weapon. Arsene with the power of darkness, Orpheus who's a pyromancer, and Izanagi who cuts down enemies with thunder," Lux grinned as he stared at his friends.

"He's not wrong," Inori piped in, nodding. The boys briefly sweat-dropped at how shamelessly she entered their conversation. "The power of the [Persona] is unheard of, and extremely powerful. There has been no records of anyone else being capable of using it."

"At first, I had mistaken you to be Spirits. If you were…" The glare she sent the three boys was enough to sent chills down their spines.

"Origami…" Lux's chiding tone stopped her from saying anything even further, even applying a look of fear upon her features. The other boys took notice of this, looking to him next. "Don't ask."

"A minor warning, just for your sakes, and ours…" Tohka gulped, gesturing for them to lean in. They did so, allowing her words to reach only their ears. "Lux is really scary when he gets angry…"

The three of them looked to the bluenette, who sported a sinister look, before returning their gaze to the Spirit, nodding in understanding.

"He _is_ scary," Yu bluntly put, ignoring how everyone else besides the person in question had fallen off their seats.

* * *

Ruin

The bells rung dismissal, and every student took to leaving or staying back to revise their studies. Others left for club activities, and some, however…

*Shing!*

"Ren, on your left!" Lux yelled as he jumped back, avoiding the end of the spear from stabbing him. He returned the attack with his own, flying ice shards towards the creature until it was felled.

When everyone got back home, they didn't understand how things went down. Kotori suddenly called the boys, stating that it was an emergency. The next thing they knew, they were back in the 'Ruin', slaying the monsters once again.

Only this time, however, they were growing smarter. Wielding swords and spears were new things too, but none of them had expected the otherwise mindless creatures to start riding horses!

*Boom!*

"Thanks," the black-haired boy nodded before parrying a sword attack, delivering a dagger straight to his chest. "Hraah!"

"Yu, Makoto! Archers incoming! Break their ranks!" He yelled as he swung [Sandalphon] towards the cavalries, leave horse and riders blown to bits.

Nodding back, Orpheus and Izanagi blasted the bow-wielding creatures with fire and thunder, easily decimating their forces. The samurai-like [Persona] easily slashed more of their foes, leaving them bolted and destroyed. No traces of life could be seen as he easily made due with the enemy, overpowering them easily.

Try as hard as they could, the monsters found no solace, embracing death involuntarily as the group of four humans tore them apart with their powers. This was easily a game of 'hack-and-slash' rather than survival.

And as such, they made quick work of their jobs for the day.

* * *

Lux's Home

"Maaan~! I'm beat…" Lux kicked back into the couch, letting out a deep sigh of relief. The aching in his muscles was only temporary, but now, it felt as if someone had left needles on his skin.

The battle was actually easy, really. The only problem they were faced with was the fact that they had been taking on wave after wave of enemies, to the point where if felt as if the whole ordeal was basically endless.

Thankfully, with the four of them working together, they survived long enough to see the end of it. The moment they got back home, it was a bliss per se.

"So, how was it, Onii-chan?" Kotori, returning with her white bows—he had noticed the changing of said hair ornament by the way she behaved—asked. He would have answered in a polite fashion, but he was physically drained to even think how to do so.

"Fine, I guess…" He let out a heavy groan, softly massaging the part between his left shoulder and neck.

After everything he had gone through, he began wondering how it would have been like had he not met Tohka in the first place. Would he have never met this side of him? The side who weld a sword and fought the dead ones? Maybe. If such a universe was the one that he resided in, he would have resumed with his student life as always.

As always.

'As always..?' The words brought a bitter taste to his tongue, unable to digest it properly. 'I know why… It's because…'

It was _exactly_ because of his meeting with Tohka that enabled him the chance to meet all these good people. He was given the ability to fight, and it was because of his ability that he had devoted himself to sharpening that gave him the chance to become a better person than he already was.

All two sides of him, though different, he knew was indeed the real him. It was only the matter of why he lived as one, and not as the other.

Right now, he knew himself, yet there were still some things he didn't fully understand. He needed his answers quickly.

'That does it then,' he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, ignoring the sounds of conversation around him. 'I'll do what I can to learn about myself. I can't remain ignorant…'

He had dillydallied with said task, bothered by other needless things. Fighting other monsters, helping Lily with her tracks, and dating the Spirits to save them—it may have sounded rather outlandish, but life finds a way to beat fiction at times.

But for now, he'd get his well-deserved rest. There would be much to do in the future, and he'd need his energy.

* * *

The Next Day

It was the weekends, and this gave Lux ample time to do some self-research.

 _'To Lily:_

 _Sorry if I hadn't been replying your messages as of late._  
 _I had been rather busy with some stuff. Of course, you needn't worry. I'll still help you out every now and then._  
 _Oh? And your last track? It was better than the last one._  
 _Keep it up!_

 _From: Blue'_

Finishing up the message, he pocketed his phone, taking a trip to the library for some silence. If he were to do this at home, he'd doubt that he'd get this done at all.

The distractions would hinder his progress.

Stepping into the large building, with a shabby build, it resembled an olden library that one can find in a mansion. With shelves leading all the way to the ceiling, there were tables and seats positioned to one side, allowing enough space for the people to sit at. This was a good idea to the boy, since it meant that no one would be blocking the books area.

He didn't reach for a book, but instead situated himself at a table, pulling out his phone and plugging his earphones into his ears.

'So, the best place to start is to trace my family tree,' he thought as he browsed through the for a family tree website. He found one.

It started with him and his sisters, all lined up and connected to their parents, both of whom had their datas erased. This struck him as odd, and as he scrolled upwards…

'That's… it?' It felt like some horrible joke. To know that the government itself only acknowledge the existence of both he himself and his parents and sisters. Other than that, it was… blank.

His family tree. This was it? It made no sense. Why was this the only thing that was left? There must have been more. There has to…

"Excuse me," a feminine voice spoke, pulling him out of her thoughts. He looked up, staring into the eyes of a young girl with silver hair. "Is anyone sitting here?"

"Oh, no. It's fine," he shook his head, watching as she sat down. Returning to his phone, he decided to check a bit more.

This was bad. There was nothing about him that could be used to help him identify who he was.

There was no one with the surname 'von' Halcyon'. That on its own was an unfortunate thing. He would have been very thankful if there was someone out there, and yet, there were no results.

Blue hair was not very common in the country as well. That sucked. As far as he knew, only he and Mana possessed blue hair.

The mark in his eye. He allowed the phone's front camera to scan it, thinking that there must be some files out there that recognise the mark. Again, he was the only person in this whole world who must be the only one to have such a birthmark.

'Damn it… What the hell am I supposed to do now..?' He sighed in disappointment.

Maybe he needed to try something else. A different approach could help him settle things. It made sense, did it not? There are times when a man achieves pressure at a certain point, and to eliminate it, he must take a hit at the problem from another angle, which should possibly help him.

Knowing what to do now, he stoop up, ready to leave the library.

"Oh? Going already?" The girl from earlier inquired, gaining his attention.

"Yes. I have… _something_ that I must tend to," he offered her a smile. "In any case, enjoy reading."

"Indeed," she nodded, waving at him as she returned to her book a moment later.

As the bluenette left the building, he was in deep thoughts. Relying on the internet was a solution that proved fruitless. Luckily enough, there is never one solution to a question—unless it's mathematics, or other things in this world. The only thing he wondered was what sort of methods he could take this time.

Maybe he could try shifting through Ratatoskr's files? Although, he was still unsure if the higher-ups would be fine with him doing so. Sure, he was their commander's brother, but it still didn't mean that he had the leeway to do such a thing. Sure, he could ask them for it, but he doubted that his sister would be fine with it.

Asking people would be like playing a game on hard mode. There was zero people he knew that would have known his parents, much less so his grandparents. That was a total dead-end.

But thinking about that… What happened to his parents?

'When I checked our family tree earlier… It mentioned 'Itsuka',' he mentally hummed. This must have meant that he and Mana were adopted into the family, though the blue-haired girl decided to keep her surname.

There was literally nothing about them. Maybe they had requested that their identities be kept hidden? He was afraid of going to Kotori to ask of such matter. He worried that he would be trudging into sensitive territory, and would cause unnecessary memories to arise.

The last thing he needed was a faltering family.

"Darn it, I'm not going to get anywhere at this pace…" He sighed to himself, mentally calling himself a dolt. "Okay, a new tactic. Pray to God that the answers come to me naturally?"

…Or perhaps not.

As the saying goes, 'Those who do not work do not eat'.

"Eesh… Thankfully, I'm just a teenager. Sure, I should get part-time jobs or something, but since Ratatoskr's covering my funds…" He didn't really see a reason to be a part-timer, considering that letters with money inside them were constantly being sent to his home every week.

Sighing in defeat at last, he decided that he'd start from scratch once again. But this time, he was definitely lost. He didn't know where else he could possibly go to to learn about himself.

There has to be some way…

"Psst," perking up at the sound of a whisper, the lad turned to his right, staring at a man, who had a long beard, possibly in his thirties.

"Hmm?" Lux looked around him, wondering if this was some set-up for some high-scale prank. And yet, he couldn't detect any cameras in the distance. Wary, he approached the man. "Yes?"

"You seem to have a problem on your mind, and I thought it would do you good to discuss it with another fellow human," the older male smiled, stroking his beard.

"Hmm… I'm not sure. I mean, you wouldn't really understand my situation all that well," he sighed.

"Perhaps. But reality has been stranger than fiction as of late," he held out his hand, imaging a snowflake falling unto his palm. "Actually… I bet this is the first time, even in the eyes of the readers, that I've ever left my home. That on its own is quite peculiar."

"Readers?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Hmm… No, I suppose it would be too much for you to comprehend," he chuckled. "In any case, this trouble that you're facing. It behooves me to assist you in solving such a difficult equation."

"You will? Are you sure?" He asked, sounding unsure. This stranger came up to him and offered his ear.

"While I may not be have the permission to truly tamper with your worldly matters, I am capable of giving you a little push. In the end, it is you who discovers yourself," he smiled, reassuringly. "Well, how would it be, my boy? Would you accept my help?"

"Well, umm… Sure. I suppose it would be fine very much like that," Lux nodded, grateful. It would be rude to turn him away now.

"Then, let us be off!" And with the snap of his fingers, the world around them grew distorted, until they stood not on Earth no more.

* * *

Somewhere Else, Beyond the Touches of Space and Time

"Well," the bluenette rubbed his eyes slightly, squinting to get his vision proper once more. "That went smoother than I thought."

Truth be told, Lux was somewhat surprised that he was seeing this. Had he been here before? Possibly not. The landscape, whilst somewhat nostalgic, gave him no sense that he had stepped foot into this dimension before.

"Not everything must be difficult," the man chuckled, sitting on his throne once again. He looked to the dragon with a smile. "How are you, friend?"

 **"Fine as I can ever be,"** the beast chuckled, breathing slowly. **"So, it seems that you have brought one of the 'Protagonists' here once again."**

"Indeed. Though we are not allowed to directly interfere with their matters, it is not said that we cannot give them a little hint," his grin turned wider as he rested his chin on his knuckle. "So, this is what we are going to do."

 **"And fulfil it we shall,"** the black wyvern nodded, before staring into the mismatching eyes of the boy. **"Lux. Can you give us a short briefing as to what you have been doing the whole day?"**

"Well… It hasn't really been the whole day, but…" He scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. Even then, he merely spoke his mind. "I want to know who I am."

 **"Ahh… I understand your situation now,"** the beast gave a firm nod in understanding, as if he had gone through such a process once. **"You seek the truth of your heritage, of your blood. To discover your true self."**

"You feel as if your sisters are not truly your sisters, you seem to have a talent for cooking despite never having bought a cookbook in your whole life, and your mark in your left eye perplexes you," the man offered next, surprising the lad.

"H-How do you know?" Such knowledgeable beings, he thought, or they could have potentially been stalkers.

"We could never call ourselves watchers of multiple universes if we do not know of the people that resides in them," the man laughed, before settling with a soft smile. "Lux, you wish to know who you are. But do you believe yourself ready for such truths?"

"Yes!" Lux answered just as immediately, lacking any restraints. "I need to know! All this while, it's just been… nagging at me! It's like a memory that's so foggy, and you want to know! I just… I…"

He trailed off, sighing at the end. Why was he getting so worked up over this?

It made sense. Not knowing yourself was like staring at a stranger if you looked into a mirror. Your face and body, yet he could feel as if the person in the mirror was a separate entity. It scared him to think that way, and as such, he needed to discover himself if he were to quell these fears.

 **"…Very well. If you speak of your readiness to learn the truths, then we shall bestow you them,"** the black dragon nodded. **"Lux, are you ready to discover yourself?"**

"Of course," he returned the gesture, fully determined to see this through.

This was his chance! Finally! No longer was he going to be kept in the darkness forever! It was time to unmask this façade, and uncover the face beneath the mask!

"Very well… If you wish to learn of yourself," the man pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, calling the child to him. Once close, the man balled the boy's hands over the paper, keeping it hidden. "Read it once you leave this dimension. From there, the path to your identity shall unveil."

"Understood," the lad gave a bow. "Thank you very much for this… I won't forget this…"

 **'And as much as it would disappoint us, you _will_ forget this…'** The dragon mentally sighed, secretly chanting a simple string of words, blowing it towards the boy's way.

There was a short gathering of light above his head, before it disappeared.

"Well then, I wish you best wishes, Lux," the man's smile was matched with the boy's own.

"Right," Lux gave one final bow, before stepping through the door that the man formed behind him.

*Creak!* *Thd.*

There was a short moment of silence, as the door broke into smoke, fading away like bubbles. The two omnipotent beings gave a short sigh, looking to each other.

 **"You always say that we have to remove the 'Protagonists' memories of us each time they leave this dimension. Why is that?"** The dragon asked, tipping his claw against his fangs.

"If they remembered us, my good friend, then they would surely come to us in the future for assistance. If possible, I'd like to avoid any possible interference," the man shook his head. "This is the safest way. Sure, we gave them a helping hand, but considering the fact that everything else is up to them, we are considered safe."

 **"Hmm… I see. No matter. As long as our writer wills us this way, then this shall be the way we shall live,"** he gave one final sigh before laying his head down. **"Also... Did you see what happened in 'Resonance of Demons'?"**

"Indeed. That subtle addition in the latest chapter, at the very bottom of the page had me wondering what prompted our creator to do so. But I still trust him. He must have had good intentions," he shrugged. "So hey, are there any other updates for this?"

 **"Readers will only need to wait for the next chapter of this story. Only one clue will be there to assist them in the future,"** he answered, before the increasing weight on his eyelids had him flutteringhis eyes shut before falling into a light snooze.

The man joined his friend a short while later.

* * *

"Whoa, what?" Lux blinked, looking everywhere around him.

Just earlier, he remembered talking to himself and thinking about stuff at the foot of the library. Now, however, he was sitting on a bench at the park by the cliffside. When did he get here?

*Crrnk…*

"Hmm?" He heard the sound of crunching paper. Unclenching his hand, he was surprised to see just that; a piece of paper scrunched up in his hand. "What is this?"

Knowing that just looking at it would not bring the answers to him, so he opened it up, trying to make understanding of the Cuneiform written on the paper—he was super glad that he studied Sumer and its history a long time ago.

"Hmm… Mountain… forest… Blade in an altar?" That last part took him by surprise, but he continued reading. "Forged… by a dragon. Wow, a sword made by a dragon? That's pretty something."

It would have meant little had he remembered that he met one already, but in his case now, he could be excused.

"Hmm… So somewhere in the forests close to the mountains, there is an altar with a sword. Okay, how am I going to find that?" He scratched the back of his head. He perked up at how the ground looked orange. Tilting his head upwards, only now did he realise that it was somewhere around evening. "Oh shoot! I should get back."

Getting up, he pocketed the piece of paper before making his way back home.

* * *

Lux's Home

"Nii-sama!" Mana greeted as he stepped into the house. "Where were you?"

"I was at the library, before I… went to the park," he noticed how his sister cocked his eyebrow at his slight trailing off. He gulped, deciding to add a bit more. "You know? The one where Tohka and I went to on our date."

"Mmm…" He knew that she wasn't entirely worried about that, but decided not to say much. "Alright. So, been up to anything the whole day?"

"Searching for inspiration for an emotional song," he blurted, words only clicking in his mind once he noticed the look of surprise on her face.

"An emotional song, huh? Better be careful, Nii-sama. Knowing you, you're going to get girls everywhere crying," she snickered, walking to the fridge.

"Well, I can try," he shrugged, seeing the other boys come from the other wing. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hey," Yu waved back. "Went out?"

"Yup. Had some stuff to do," he nodded, before adopting a slightly serious look. "Say, can I speak to you in private?"

"Mmm? Sure. Where at?" Makoto asked, brushing his blue hair backwards.

"Outside, if we could?" His request was responded with collective nods. "Alright. Come on."

From the corner of her eye, Mana caught a glimpse of her brother and his friends exiting the house. While curious, a part of her told her that it must have been pretty important that they had to take it outside, so she decided not to pry.

Meanwhile, the boys gathered at the foot of the house, sun still sending orange through the supposedly blue sky. Clouds drifted through the stretch of yellows, reds and oranges, giving a little bit of colour to the vibrant up.

"So, what'd you call us out for?" Makoto started, the wind much too chilly for his preference.

"Yes, well… There is an important thing that I have to do, but I require your assistances," the other bluenette answered. "We're going mountain trekking, I… guess, but I'm a tad bit worried that things could go south from there. So, can you guys help out?"

"Sure. We don't really have much to do," Ren nodded with his trademark smile.

"Good! Then let's take off, tomorrow, early morning," their leader suggested—they had agreed that he'd be the leader, even though he said he wasn't truly qualified for such a position. "What say you guys?"

"Let's do it, / I'm all up for it, / Yeah," all three boys gave their own responses.

* * *

The Next Day

Just as they planned the night prior, Lux and his friends had packed some stuff to bring with them on their trip.

Lux, knowing that his family would worry about him a little too much, lied that he and the others were going to the library again to do some research on some stuff. Of course, no one saw their backpacks, so it was fine then.

Leaving the house, the boys gave a nod to each other, ready to make their way to the hills.

"So, there's supposed to be some ruins in the forests close to the mountains?" Yu asked, gaining a nod from the bluenette.

"Yeah. From there, I think I'll be able to find what I'm searching for," the lad's response was met with an understanding hum. "Okay, listen up guys. When the going gets rough, make sure to wield your [Personas], alright? I doubt things over there will get any more peaceful than it is here."

"And what makes you say that?" Ren asked this time, adopting a curious look.

"See, where we're going, there's supposed to be an old artifact. I've no doubt that there's going to be at least a few things defending that area," he could already picture it. Those monsters are probably around the altar, defending it from any trespassers. "So, watch your step, alright?"

"Got it," everyone responded back.

* * *

Hours Later

Getting to the mountains wasn't easy. Of course they took the trains, but the fact that there the government had situated some scouts there meant that they needed permit. And the fact that none of them had requested Ratatoskr or Funeral Parlour to get them a pass would have meant that they wouldn't be able to get in, right?

Well…

"Is this truly necessary?" Joker—the codename Ren had given to himself when wearing his [Persona] outfit—asked as a green woman with a red dress levitated behind him, a ball of energy held up in her lithe hand.

"Well, they weren't going to let us go, right?" Lux snickered, earning a sweat-drop from his friend. He wore his regular jacket with the black uniform and white-blue tie."Don't worry. All you did was make them go to sleep. There's no problem in that now, is there?"

"Well, if you say so," the black-haired lad nodded back, ordering Silky to stop as he followed after his friends, leaving behind a bunch of guards asleep. He deactivated his power, wearing a simple beige dress-shirt with black pants.

"Come on, we don't want to be here when they wake up," Makoto urged his friends to hasten their pace, wearing a black scarf with his white tee, with grey pants to complete the set.

"Right," Yu nodded, coming here with the school uniform he always wears, albeit without the blazer. "Let's go."

Everyone proceeded deeper into the forest, with Lux holding a map of the forest's sections. There were red circles marked here and there, acting as points of interests that they could try.

...

And try they did, yet they found nothing.

They tried checking behind the waterfall, looking around a cave found halfway on their trip to the waterfall, and even checking inside a forgotten experimentation base built here a few years ago, that got shut down due to the government banning its tests.

Though they had covered every parts of the forests, and even double-checking the points of interests just in case. Even so, their search yielded no fruit, and they were almost about to leave, until…

"Hey guys," everyone turned to Lux. "I've got someplace I want to try."

"What's up?" Yu came up to his friend to see him connecting all the red dots together. "I see… You're playing 'Connect-the-dots'."

"Wha—No! That was not my intention at all!" He sweat-dropped, knowing that Yu could be quite air-headed at times. "Maybe… Just maybe. Where these points connect, we could try covering only the area in it."

"Are you sure? It's been three hours since we got here," the other bluenette panted, feeling a trickle of sweat drop from his chin. "There'd better be something at the end of this… We are not going home empty-handed."

"No. We'll get something this time," he shook his head in reassurance. "Come on. Let's go."

Once again, spirits still slightly down, the group of four made their way to scout the area in the enclosed space marked on the map.

It was still a trying thing, no doubt. Even so, they were grateful that there weren't any wild animals that saw them as a threat, or any of the monsters in the vicinity, so they wouldn't need to worry much. Although, the slow but constant depletion of their supplies was something to take note of.

When the thought that there was truly no gain as to coming here came to mind, then came in their answer.

"Hmm?" Lux stared at the rock in the very centre of this space that he marked, taking notice of its strange condition. Leaving his friends' sides to inspect it, he brushed his fingers across its surface. His eyes widened when he could feel what seemed to be screws in the little creaks. Lowering himself to ground level, he could hear wind from below the rock. 'Aha! That's it!'

"Lux? You found something?" Makoto looked as if he had given up, but decided to stick through to the end. It would be such a d*ck move to just up and leave.

"Yeah. This here," he banged his balled fist against the stone, just as surprised as the others when he heard metal ringing. "Should be our treasure spot. Can you guys help out?"

"Let me," Yu stepped forwards. "Izanagi!"

At his command, the same samurai-like [Persona] grew from behind him, wielding its sword in its right hand.

To its master's mental command, the [Persona] slammed its fist at the 'stone', effectively shoving it aside, revealing a flight of stairs that went down into God-knows-where. But one thing for sure, this must be the altar thingy that he read in the paper he received.

"Any of you got a fire-wielding [Persona]?" The mismatching-haired boy asked as he walked to a tree, strongly detaching a large branch before returning to the group.

"I do," the other bluenette nodded, pulling out his 'Evoker' and shooting himself in the head, summoning Orpheus. "Agi."

The humanoid-like [Persona] drew its harp, playing a soft tune on it, willing fire to combust over the end of the branch in Lux's hand. Afterwards, he dissipated into matter, returning into Makoto.

"Alright, guys. Let's get a move on," they nodded, slowly descending the stairs.

There was a shift from natural greenery to a cold, cobblestone area. There was no spiders or ants that could be seen as far as they looked. The only thing that gave them the thought that something did live here was the claw marks on the damp walls. The smell of wet maple leaves blew past their nostrils, eliciting mixed responses; scrunching of faces, or no response whatsoever.

Everyone wondered as to how Yu still looked fine after breathing in something like that.

The deeper they went, the more they felt as if there was something hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce on them. Even so, they weld no weapon, just in case they'd make a mistake or anything.

Finally, after such a long time going down, and down, and down… They came across a wide space with nothing but stalactites, rocks forming into spires here and there. There was some sort of altar at the front, with an underground lake surrounding it.

And at the centre of the altar, there was a sword stuck into the earth, standing upright.

"That must be it…" Lux muttered to himself, walking towards the golden blade. His friends trailed right after him.

Arriving at the weapon, the lad inspected it. It had such a unique build. Golden, with no scratches on it. The way it opened up at the centre made it seem like some form of tear.

"What kind of sword is that?" Ren thought in curiosity, eyeing the blade's design with full attention. "I've never seen such a sword like this before."

"And neither have we," Makoto chuckled, trudging his hand through his blue hair. "This is strange. Who would've put a sword underground?"

"Well, whoever it was, I don't care. In fact," he turned around, holding the sword with his left hand. "Maybe I wasn't completely honest, so here's the thing."

He took out the piece of paper, showing it to his friends, all of whom read it with a look of confusion, curiosity and wariness.

"I don't know, but… I remember going to the library once. When I left it, the next thing I knew, I was at the park atop the hill with that paper in my hand," he sighed, looking at the blade. The desire to pull it out was strong, but he managed to hold himself back for now. "So, we're here. And, obviously, there is no one that seemingly looks as if they own this sword, so…"

"We take it?" Yu suggested.

"Ehh… Sure," the lad shrugged, getting a firm grip over the blade's hilt. Exerting just a bit of pressure, and the blade—

*Choo!*

Came out clean, easily as if there were nothing holding it in place. Too easy, Lux thought.

"Well, I was expecting an Excalibur scene, but it seems not," Ren blinked, walking towards his friend. "How does it feel?"

"Unsurprisingly light," the lad gave another shrug, giving a couple swings to test it. It's swings were smooth, unhindered by momentum. "Alright, now that we got what we need, let's—"

*BOOM!*

 ***Persona 5—RUN! RUN! RUN! (Play Song)***

"Whoa, what?!" Lux almost stumbled down, only managing to remain standing when Yu caught him. "Thanks."

"Yeah," he nodded, looking around them.

*Boom!*

The cavern began cracking apart, a tremor shaking the very underground space as water was tossed here and there, stones shot other places, and the shaking only worsening. The cavern ceiling seemed to give way, falling down onto the altar, destroying pillars and any other structures.

"Okay, let's get out of here!" Everyone heeded their leader's words, rushing to the stairs.

*Bang!*

A massive boulder was quickly dropping down due to gravity, almost smashing Ren into a pulp had he not deftly avoided it at the last minute.

"Smooth work there!" Lux shouted, responded with a grin. "Keep going, everyone!"

They didn't stop, even as they reached the stairs. The altar's wide space gave in, collapsing and leaving the altar to be buried under rocks and stone.

 ***Persona 5—RUN! RUN! RUN! (End Song)***

*Crash!*

"Whoa!" Makoto managed to jump off the stairs at the last second, watching as it crumbled and sunk into a landslide. Now, there was no possible way to get in once again. "That was close…"

"Too close," Yu nodded in agreement. "So, what now?"

"Well, we get home, and pretend nothing much had happened," Lux was quick to answer. "Oh. And we hide the sword, just in case—"

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

"Eh?" Perking up at the sounds of his phone buzzing, he pulled it out of his pocket, paling when he saw that it was Kotori. "Oh, damn…"

How'd she know that they were here? No, it couldn't be… Maybe the fact that they had been hours away from home worried her, so she was calling him just to be safe. Yeah, that could probably be it.

Sighing in hope, he picked up the call.

" _Lux!_ " The girl basically screamed from the other side. The brother was grateful he hadn't stuck his ear there. " _There's something going on to 'Ruin'!_ "

* * *

Aboard the Fraxinus

Ratatoskr's ship warped the four boys into it. They were clueless as to what happened, until she showed them a live-recording of what was happening.

'Ruin' is a separate dimension only accessible by Lux and his friends. It was formed by the unconscious thoughts of destruction that stemmed from the minds of the people. When negative thoughts were formed, from there, 'Ruin' started to grow. Their massive fear of total annihilation only served to quicken the process.

Now, it was suddenly shifting to that of a more corrupted version, with twisted buildings resemblant of a crooked cane, and the overgrown present on them pulsated even brighter than before. The dirt itself seemed to be _levitating_ above the earth, accompanying the sky that swivelled from red to black, and purple to grey. A mix of colours that looked a disgusting mix.

"What the hell is going on in there?" The lad asked, hiding the sword behind his back.

"We don't know. When we called you, this happened," Kotori huffed, spinning the chair she sat on to now face her brother. "And you! Where were you when this happened? You said you were at the library!"

"We went to the forest," Yu blurted, gaining shocked looks from the other lads. "We were going trekking."

A collective sighs.

"Seriously? Trekking? It didn't look like you brought repellants or anything like that…" The redhead sighed, before adopting her serious expression once more. "No matter. Right now, we need to discover why the 'Ruin' is turning this way. And, if possible, we need to eliminate the cause so toned its growth."

"What happens if we don't do it?" The other bluenette—not her brother—asked, crossing his arms over his chest in the process.

"Well, the 'Ruin' basically represents the negative thoughts of the masses, right?" Her question was met with nods. "Right. So, they're basically the same level of negativity. If the 'Ruin' continues to grow…"

"Then the people will be consumed by their own negative thoughts as well," Lux finished with a gulp. "Crud… Okay, we're going in. Kotori, warp us to the park."

"Got it," she nodded.

Clicking on a button, the boys were transported back at the cliff. Pulling out their phones, they clicked on the ominous-looking eye application, nodding at each other.

*Pwwohhh..!*

And the world reconstructed itself once more.

* * *

 ***Final Fantasy XIII-2—Paradigm Shift (Play Song)***

They stood at their same spot, key difference being that everything else was not there. Gone was the playground, now replaced with scraps and chunks of trees.

"This is bad…" Joker commented, adjusting his glove. "Where should we start?"

"There," their leader pointed in a direction. All eyes followed, a massive chunk of earth levitating in the sky coming into view. There was some sort of crystal exposed from the bits of earth, glowing purple. Atop the floating earth was a crumbling city. "We need to get up there."

"But how do we do that? I mean, none of us can fly. Plus, we don't really have a [Persona] that can do such a thing," Makoto sighed in disappointment.

"Hmm… Does any of you have a [Persona] that can use wind-based skills?" His question gained a positive response from Joker. "Okay. Summon her."

As his friend did just that, Lux pulled out his void, shooting himself in the head after thinking of the Spirit with purple hair. At that, the black crown crystallised and turned purple, and in his left hand was now [Sandalphon]. Large and wide, he thought.

"Alright, everyone. We'll use [Sandalphon] as a means of transport," he told the rest. "Titania will be carrying us over using wind skills, so we'll still be able to get to the city."

"Seriously? Sounds risky. What if we fell?" The bluenette with headphones gulped in slight worry.

"Fret not. If at any times that such a thing occurs, I'll ensure that I'll catch you just as quick," he reassured his friends. "Very well, let's get on with it."

All four of them balanced themselves on the large greatsword, with Titania casting weak winds over the blade to begin the levitating process.

*Fwwoo…*

It slowly raised up, higher and higher into the air, until she stopped. Then, without further ado, she blasted a torrent of wind that propelled them forwards, drifting through the sky like a surfboard across the sea.

"Amazing…" Was all that Yu could say, completely breathless as he looked below him. The ground below seemed so small in comparison to them.

"Careful now, everyone. I advice you not to look down, in case you have a slight fear of heights and or falling," he warned, everyone nodding in response.

After a bit more time crossing the sky in a matter of minutes, the group finally reached the floating island. They landed close to a building that resembled some form of hotel.

"Let's make haste now," the team broke into a run, making their way to the centre of the island. The buildings looked unsteady, as if it was ready to topple on top of them. Luckily enough, it take some time of wearing or for someone to actually disturb it for such a thing to happen.

 ***Final Fantasy XIII-2—Paradigm Shift (End Song)***

It didn't take long to reach their designated location, but neither of them had expected them to be be witnessing something that resembled a summoning table.

It was like the altar they went to earlier, except this one had purple walls, decorated with torn banners that possessed a logo with eyes. The table up front had nothing on it, but there was definitely someone else standing behind it, back turned towards them.

"Well, to think that the lost prince has come to look for me…" The figure laughed, turning around so that everyone got a view of him.

He was by no means tall, but a wicked person no doubt. Just by the looks was enough to give them that sort of thought. He had black hair that spiked and lifted backwards. His ears were blocked by the massive golden 'earrings', branching out to cover his chin. He had bags over his eyes, as well as dark skin. He wore an outfit none of them had ever seen, but they quickly deduced him to be a sorcerer, indicated by the tome he held in his hand.

"Prince? Forgive me, sir, but you seem to have mistaken me for someone else. As far as I know, I have merely lived as a simple student all these years," he shook his head, his team pulling out their weapons.

"Hmph. So you do not know who you are?" He chuckled, flipping the pages open. Outstretching his arm towards the boys, his grin turned maniacal. "No matter. It will change nothing. Die!"

 ***Bravely Second: End Layer—Battle of Anne (Play Song)***

"Whoa!" The boys ducked as a bolt of dark energy zipped across the field, almost striking them.

"Everyone, be careful! I can sense a mix of thunder and darkness in his tome!" The leader shouted, cutting the air in front of him, causing an arc of energy to fly towards the enemy, whom merely casted a barrier in front of himself to deflect it, destroying a nearby building. "Keep your distance when he's about to attack, but go for close-quarters!"

"Right!" Everyone shouted back, heeding their leader's words well.

"Hah! Your strategy will not be enough to defeat me!" The sorcerer cackled as he snapped his fingers, followed with a horde of monsters emerging from the ground, wielding a variety of weapons.

"We're surrounded!" Yu cried out, slicing his katana across a monster before commanding Izanagi to obliterate the other with thunder.

"Don't let up! We'll take them down, no matter what!" His words bolstered their determination, and the battle went on.

The boys swapped their attention from one foe to the other, not giving them the chance to strike back. Easily decimating their forces with their will, [Personas] and 'Angel', the sorcerer watched as the wave of monsters vanished in a quick few.

"Tch! Pathetic. Very well then. Allow me to make things more interesting!" His cackle was unsettling, but the more monsters that came forth was only an annoying feat.

"We need to remove the sorcerer, no matter what!" Lux yelled, obliterating fifty monsters with a single swing of [Sandalphon]. "Yu, Makoto! Take him out! Joker, with me!"

"Hai!" Everyone gave their respective responses, rushing to their targets.

"Not so fast," the sorcerer aimed a spell towards the boys that were fast approaching them, failing to deal any damage on them as the samurai-like being cut the blast with its sword. "Tch. Take this!"

Chanting a long string quickly, a ball of malignant energy formed in his hand. He shot it towards the two.

"Don't parry! Evade!" Lux ordered, jumping back to let Joker deal the damage at the monster.

They did as they were told, jumping to the side to let the ball travel forth. What they didn't expect, however, was for the same spell to suddenly _make a u-turn_ and fly towards them.

"It's a homing spell! Lose it somehow!" Their leader was busy with his own targets, but made quick effort of them with just a couple of swings, rendering them to bits.

Makoto, gaining an idea, rushed towards the enemy, blade aimed straight for his heart. But, there was nothing. Rather, he had pushed himself away from the sorcerer, giving himself ample amount of time, as time seemed to slow down for him as he flipped in the air, to watch the spell make contact with him.

*Boom!*

"Got em'!" He happily laughed, turned into a disappointed sigh when he noticed that he had erected a barrier, easily blocking the attack.

"Joker, help them out! Everyone, rush the enemy! No holding back!" They took their orders well and clear, rounding up and running towards the sorcerer.

"Not so fast!" He clicked his fingers, warping into the air before launching a dark spell at them. Joker did a roll, easily avoiding the attack.

"Arsene!" Summoning his [Persona], he commanded the gentleman-like being to launch a chain of dark energy at the sorcerer. It shot forth from the ground, shackling the sorcerer in the air.

"Izanagi! Use Ziodyne!" The silver-haired lad's [Persona] held out its hand, thunders forming in the sky. It rained onto the sorcerer, shocking him as his screams echoes through the area.

"Okay, get back!" Lux shouted, everyone doing so. Willing energy into the sword, he slashed it forwards, the arc of energy colliding with the chained sorcerer.

*Boom!*

 ***Bravely Second: End Layer—Battle of Anne (End Song)***

He was sent flying back into a building, crashing down onto the ground with blood flowing down his torso. The others had taken him to be such a fragile man, yet he managed to get back up on his feet, shakily if one might add. Immediately, he opened his tome once more.

"Give it up. You're surrounded," the silverette warned, aiming his katana directly at him.

"Yu's right. Had you possessed assistance rather than summon such vile creatures," his friend kicked the dirt. "Then you would have had a chance. However, you have lost, so I implore you to stand down."

"Hrugh… You believe yourself to be God himself, don't you?" His question came with his scowl.

"I don't," Lux denied the thought with a shake of the head. "I am merely a spawn of his. His creation. You, on the other hand, has soiled his very name, and should deserve death."

"Hah… Haahaa… HahaaHaaHAHAHAHA!" It started off slow, but the way he was cackling now set everyone else at unease. "You can bother yourself with such imbecilic beliefs, but I will conquer you! No matter what! You hear me?! I will NOT lose!"

He was physically drained of his strength, and drained of his mana. There was no way he could cast a spell now. But, if he could take them out, then what's the problem there?

Raising his hand in the air, a small sphere of energy began to form, taking shape as a smooth ball with light. Slowly, it began to grow, reaching heights half of the towers around them.

"Everyone, get back!" Their leader shouted, taking a distance away from the sorcerer, who was obviously up to something dangerous.

"What is that?" Joker's answer went unanswered, but he could understand them. This was something that was no doubt going to be dangerous, but neither knew of what it was.

*Bzz!* *Bam!*

The boys scattered, jumping backwards as the energy ball began to falter, madly vibrating as electric zapped from the sphere, pouring onto the battlefield before disappearing.

And then, with a click of his fingers, the sphere shattered.

*Chh!*

 ***Tales of Berseria—Daemons' Assault (Play Song)***

"My Lord…" Lux, though with the safe reminder that his weapon was still in his left hand, felt himself grow weak in the presence of such a massive being.

What stood before them was a gigantic man wearing golden armour, with long strands of stiff ash that acted as his hair, white and powdery. It may have seemed easy at first, but to face off against his spear, that emanated a destructive aura, and his corvine dragon was surely a challenge to be wary of.

"W-Whoa… Looks difficult," Yu clicked his tongue in annoyance, but a part of him couldn't help but feel worried as well. Whatever this thing was, this was much more different than the enemies they've taken care of before.

"Everyone! Stick together! Do not let him separate us!" Lux commanded, rushing forwards before leaping into the air, ramming the shard edge of his sword straight at him, who blocked his attack with his spear. The dragon, realising that its master was in danger, released a torrent of fire towards the lad, who merely blocked it with his weapon.

"Haah!" The three [Persona] wielders produced their [Personas], dropping fire, thunder and darkness onto him. The spear-wielding being deflected the attack, watching as the mix of elements get tossed aside.

"Damn, this thing is difficult!" Makoto jumped back, swapping Orpheus for Thanatos. "Thanatos! Blow him apart!"

In accordance to its master's will, the enormous being dropped energy bombs onto the king, the explosion sending debris flying and buildings crashing.

"It's not enough! Keep it up!" The lad rushed forwards once more, sending arc after arc of energy towards the rider and his mount, swinging his sword in a horizontal line repeatedly. The attack nicked at their healths a bit, but it wasn't enough. "Take this!"

With a mental command, part of his purple crystals turned into a shade of light blue. At that, he released a soft breath forwards, before watching as a storm of frost and snow blew forth, engulfing the battlefield.

"Thank you, Yoshino…" He muttered to himself. "[Zadkiel]! Cast upon them thy frost!"

His demand was well met, as large spires of ice formed in the air, accelerating towards the king. He tried to block it, but Lux managed to freeze his arms.

*Ching!* *Ching!*  
*Rrrhaaah!*

The dragon howled, as solids below zero degrees Celsius were forcefully stabbed into it, blood trickling down the wounds. With a solid three-sixty spin, the ice shattered.

"Everyone, don't let up! We've just a little bit more!" The bluenette, with purple and light-blue crystals growing down to chin-length, blasted a powerful ray at the beings, the explosion that came from it knocking them backwards. But just as quick as they went down, so too were they able to regain their stance once more. "Damn it…"

"Arsene!" At his master's command, the winged [Persona] created javelins of dark energy, lunging them straight at the king. He managed to knock them aside, before charging towards the group.

"Izanagi!" Yu rushed forwards, his [Persona] raising its blade and blocking the attack. Taking this moment, the silverette got close to the king, attempting to cut him down, yet the dragon managed to knock back Izanagi, giving its rider ample time to push back the attack.

"Alright, everyone! I have a plan!" Everyone else turned their heads towards their leader's direction. "Joker, Makoto, Yu, I require some time to charge up my attack! Hold it off for a little bit."

"Sure thing," Joker nodded, the others spawning their own [Personas]. "Let's go!"

As he watched his friends rush in to take care of the king, Lux began charging up an attack for [Sandalphon], making sure to keep himself hidden, just in case.

The rest were doing pretty good. The 'Nameless King', though incredibly powerful, still had troubles with his opponents. Izanagi made the dragon its target, trying to avert its attention from the others, who were busy trying to get a hit at the king.

Orpheus burned away at the king, the force behind it enough to force to slightly push it backwards. Arsene came out of nowhere, cleaving the knight's armour with his claws. It left a scratch mark on the armour.

Huffing, the king raised his spear and twisted it around him, keeping the three lads at bay. The dragon took this chance to attack them, but they managed to get a distance away before it revved fire at them.

"Everyone!" They turned towards their leader, who was holding onto a glowing [Sandalphon], electric visibly crackling on its surface. "I'm done!"

"Got it," they nodded, jumping back.

The sword had been charged to its maximum capability, enough to decimate a city. Just the firepower he needed.

"Take this!" He yelled, swinging the sword and causing a large arc of energy to fly.

It sliced the air, moving forwards without any restraints. It was closing in on the 'Nameless King', who had no time to evade the attack. As such, he brought up his spear.

*BANG!*

 ***Tales of Berseria—Daemons' Assault (End Song)***

The battle died down just as quick, and everyone were fully convinced that that attack must have killed him already. However—

*Fwoo!*

"No…" Lux could feel the colours drain from his face when he saw the dragon and its rider rising into the air, before they flew towards him, the creature slamming its skull into him.

*Bam!*

"Ghuhg..!" The lad was sent flying back, his sword clashing against the ground as it was knocked away, too far for him to reach. "W-Wha—"

*BZZZZ!*

"Hrrhaaa!" Bolts of thunder rained upon him, frying him dry. It lasted for three painful minutes, before it finally died down, revealing a bluenette with burnt skin. His sword had returned into him, unable to be given form due to its wielder's condition. "G-Ghhaa…"

"No moving now," the sorcerer's footsteps were sounding louder, indicating that he was walking towards him. Coming to a full stop, Lux had to inch his head to the side, just to see the victorious smirk on his face.

"F-F… Y-You…" He wanted to swear so much, but his worries were swapped to his friends, all of whom were contained under a large glass bowl-like cell. "N-No…"

"You were such a foolish boy. To think that you could actually best me in a duel," he cackled, feeling his beard with his long fingers. "Though, I must say, I am actually impressed. You managed to force me to summon the 'Nameless King', something that I had been reserving for another occasion. For that, I must commend you for your strength."

His words sounded like dreadful poison, seeping into his mind and heart as it echoes, ever so loudly. It made him feel disgusted. The lad tried to get up, but it felt as if the electric from before had broken his nerves.

"Now, now. If you try to move, you're only going to hurt yourself more," he snickered, walking towards the golden sword that had been taken from the lad by the king. "To think that you had the legendary Falchion in your possessions all this time… An amazing feat, no doubt. However…"

He handed the blade to the king once again, warping to the boy before roughly pulling his head up by the hair, staring into the mismatching eyes of the lad.

"Hmm… Same mark. Just like that annoying princess," he spat to the ground, forcefully pushing his head down to the ground, adding his boot at the back of his skull. The bluenette could taste the dirt and stones, trying hard not to drool or swallow. "You've lost. Accept it."

'Accept a lost..?' He repeated the phrase, and, unsurprisingly, he didn't like it. This was only a case for true quitters. He was definitely not one of them. 'Damn it… What do I do..?'

The sorcerer was just above him, holding his face down to the ground with his boot keeping him down. The others were still contained, watching their friend with looks of dread. The 'Nameless King' and his mount were close to the cell, his spear in hand in case they tried to escape.

Game over. He spoke it to himself. He lost. He… lost.

Accepting that he had been defeated, he closed his eyes, waiting for the man to deliver to him his death.

* * *

 _'…It is not over!'_

* * *

Eyes bulging wide open, he stared to where he heard the voice. The sorcerer seemed to have heard the voice as well, indicated by how he let out a scowl.

As if the answer came to him like that, he looked up.

*Khh!*

 ***Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns—Crimson Blitz (Play Song)***

The same portal that spawned the monsters he encountered at the very beginning opened up wide above them, yet he could sense no malicious aura. Instead…

*Zzzooo!*

Two figures dropped down from the portal, reaching the ground in a second. Regaining their postures, they kept a distance between themselves and the enemy.

"How did you get in here? I thought this world was sealed off from your own," the sorcerer hissed, clenching the book even tighter.

"It is because he," the person with the mask covering his face gestured to the boy on the ground, whom looked back in concern. "Managed to release the Falchion from its seal, thus allowing the Outrealm gates to function once more."

"Yeah!" A girl beside her, face covered by the hood of her outfit, shouted.

"Validar, you have trespassed into another world, and sought to destroy it, just as you had tried to destroy ours," another boy, albeit with the same height as the hooded girl, and wearing the same outfit, spoke in a serious tone. "We failed to defeat you once, but we'll do it this time."

"Hah! And what do you think you can do against me, huh?" The sorcerer named Validar cackled, raising his arm. "You don't even have your—"

*Whoo!*

"What the—" So lost in the conversation with the heroes from the other world gave Lux the distraction he needed to swipe the blade from the 'Nameless King', before tossing it towards the masked man. "No!"

He caught in, staring back at the lad, who fell down. Breath hitched in his throat, he swung his sword, trying his best to ignore the boy for now.

"Let's put an end to this, Validar," he stated, before the three of them rushed towards the sorcerer, who wasn't planning to give up just yet either.

"In your dreams!" He casted spells after spells, all of them getting blocked by a semi-translucent barrier erected by the hooded girl. "Damn it! 'Nameless King', fight with me!"

He nodded, joining his summoner in their battle against these strangers. He swiped his lance across him, missing his targets by an inch or two. The hooded children blasted him with fire and thunder, knocking him back before the masked man managed to get his sword into the dragon's skull.

*Ching!* *Rrrhgaaau!*

The beast cried out as its flesh sizzled and smoked, indicating that the blade she weld must have been a dragon's version of a kryptonite.

"Thoron!" The hooded boy called, sending a multitude of electric javelins flying towards the knight, whilst his female counterpart dealt with Validar.

As all of this went down, however, Lux had been busy trying to get away, crawling slowly so to not draw attention unto himself. Seeing his friends still locked up, he made his way towards them.

"Blast it! You just have to ruin my plans!" Validar growled, emanating a dark wave that swept across the battlefield.

The hooded girl made no comment, erecting a barrier that shielded her from the darkness. Sending herself into the air by casting wind under her feet, she flung a fire spell at him, exploding upon contact, ceasing the dark waves.

"Marth! It's all up to you!" The hooded boy shouted as he blocked the king's spear with his own sword that looked like an electric bolt. "Go!"

"Understood!" He nodded, flicking the blade in his wrist before breaking into a run towards Validar, who tried to get up, but the previous attack had inflicted quite the damage on his body. "Hraah!"

Sending the sword into the air, he jumped after it, getting a hold over it before spinning downwards, quickly closing in on the sorcerer, who had a look of fear.

Confidently, the masked man swung it down.

*Shing!*

 ***Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns—Crimson Blitz (End Song)***

"Ghaaha!" Blood fountained as the sword slashed him across the chest. He fell to the ground, still holding onto life as he shook.

*Prrhg…*

His summoner downed and incapable of sustaining his form, the 'Nameless King's' body faded into ash. Just as he was born from it, so too did he return to it. His mount joined its rider as well, letting out a soft howl as they were whisked away by the wind.

Validar's low reserves of mana, also caused the cell to contain the [Persona] wielders to shatter, freeing them once more.

"Lux!" All three of them shouted in worry as they rushed to his side, gently lifting him off the ground.

"Are you alright?" Ren, already dematerialising his outfit as they spoke, asked in concern. The clear signs of burning on his skin, added with blues and black splotches on his arms, was enough to bolster their trepidation.

"Y-Yeah…" Lux made a slow nod, hissing as a piece of his skin tore off, revealing muscle. "Ah, f**k…" He breathed slowly, raising his head to stare at the three outworld heroes, all of whom were approaching his group.

"You're far from fine. You've endured Validar's unholy magic, and possibly have broken ribs, since the dragon had rammed its head into you," the masked man commented, the golden blade kept in the scabbard hung around his waist.

"T-True… But that doesn't mean… I won't get better…" He quickly swiped the blood that leaked from his lips with his sleeve, managing a smile. "Thanks… for coming to our rescue…"

There was a slight moment of silence, until the sound of footsteps rung throughout the area. It belonged the masked man, who made no stops in approaching the injured lad. The bluenette—err, Lux, I mean—unconsciously took a step back, his friends making a bit of space as he did so.

He stopped directly in front of him, looking down, before he tilted his head upwards so to meet the other boy's mismatching eyes, pointedly interested in the birthmark he had.

"…You have it," he muttered, gaining the other boy's attention.

"Wha… You've seen it before?" Lux questioned, sounding reenergised once more. Though the pain that took ahold of his body was more than he could truly bear, he seemed oblivious to it, as if it had never been there at all.

"Indeed…" And at that, 'he' slowly removed the mask from 'his' face, revealing features belonging to a woman's. Were the face not enough, her hair finally gave in to gravity, dropping down and flowing to her waist.

One, the person he had mistaken for a boy was not a boy. She looked beautiful, no doubt, which only made it awkward since she was just standing an inch away from him. Two, however, was the more important factor that lead to his utter world-shattering revelation.

This woman, with the same hair colour as he does, possessed the same birthmark in her left eye.

"You… you have it as well..?" His gasp was well understood. He had lived with the thought that he was the only one to be born with such a unique mark, only to find a person wearing the same brand standing before him.

"Yeah…" She nodded, before she suddenly started crying, much to the other's franticness. "Gods… It's been s-so long…"

And that was the final straw.

Whatever restraints she had placed upon herself, shattered quicker than anything in the world. She dived forwards, and the most unthinkable thing—to the group of boys, and to Lux himself—happened.

She was hugging him.

* * *

 **A/N: Hehehe... I am so getting punched for all these crossovers.**

 **So hey! Blue hair, strange birthmark, royal lineage! What does it all come down to? Fire Emblem!** **I love the series. Number one on my top 3 games, Persona and Pokemon below them.**

 **So now we get a detail on who this story's 'Protagonist' is, with help from the man and his draconic friend. A prince of Ylisse, brother to many people's favourite blue-haired princess, and two tactician-juniors. Now that there is pretty nice!**

 **Oh yeah. And Persona. That's number two on my list!**

 **Well guys, that's all for now. Leave down some comments, and hey? Why not favourite it? I won't ask you to, but follow your heart... Okay, see ya'!**


End file.
